Ghost of the Branwen
by PainX65
Summary: The world is hell. Murders, thefts and pointless fighting between humans and faunus when there is a larger threat out there with the Grimm. This world needs a saviour. A saviour raised by a tribe of the very same people who helped made the world what it is today and shaped him into what he truly is, a ghost.
1. Madara Branwen

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 1: Madara Branwen

Remnant, a world filled with airships, gadgets, high-tech weaponry, and a natural resource called Dust, known as Nature's Wrath. A world where two 'intelligent' races inhabit this world, the humans and the faunus.

Both intelligent forms of live were both very similar except for appearance. The biggest difference was animal traits on faunus. Cat ears, dog tails, the traits were different for different faunus.

With two intelligent forms of life, you would expect them to coexist due to a larger threat in the world.

Grimm.

Soulless creatures that just want to destroy everything man has created and both humans and faunus themselves.

However despite this threat of a seemingly endless wave of dangerous creatures that resembled animals and varied in sizes, drawn in by negative emotions, the so called 'intelligent' races fought each other.

But alas, despite the fighting of the three most dangerous threats, life seemed to continue on.

But what does remnant truly mean? A surviving trace, leftovers of something bigger.

What were they remnants of? Gods who abandoned the world after the creation of life, the Grimm and humanity?

No one truly knows yet none can seem to agree with each other, and then disagreement slowly turns into conflict.

This world was no where near perfect, it wasn't a paradise…yet, it wasn't hell either.

Not one thing nor the other, not black nor white. Simply just in between, grey.

Small insignificant remnants of life on an abandoned planet created by the same gods that created them, humans and faunus. Killing and stealing from each other, ruling over one another simply because they're different.

A higher being would call them disgusting.

A lesser being would be amazed by them.

Peace was a sought after thing by many. However, peace never lasted long.

It was a truly flawed world.

* * *

Pain, pain was the only thing that a woman named Raven could feel. There was only one thought on her mind and that was getting the human being out of her…or rather two human beings out of her.

Raven Branwen was currently giving birth to twins.

She had long black hair with red highlights, a pale white complexion, and she had a pair of alluring yet deadly red eyes.

She was glad that she wasn't giving birth during a Grimm attack. She kept pushing hoping that one of the twins would hurry the hell up and get out.

As she was pushing she kept crushing the hand of her significant other, Taiyang Xiao Long, the bastard who got her like this.

Taiyang is a man with blond hair that has two small strands sticking out from the top and blue eyes. His facial hair consists of a soul patch and a small stubble along his jawline. On his right arm is a tattoo similar to a heart.

He was wearing brown cargo shorts with a dark brown belt, black shoes, a red bandana on his left arm, and a brown leather vest over a tan dress shirt with the right sleeve cut off. For armour, he wears a metal spaulder, leather vambrace, and a brown fingerless glove, all on his right arm.

"I see the head." The doctor said as she kept encouraging the mother to push, and before she knew it, even if it felt like hours, she gave birth to his first child.

"A health boy." The doctor said before handing the child to the nurse.

"You're doing good honey." Taiyang smiled weakly, trying to ignore the pain in his hand.

Raven glared at him before crushing his hand. If she was going through this unbearable pain, she was going to give him pain.

That's when she gave birth to her second child.

Finally…now she could rest as her child cried after being brought into the world.

Wait child? What of her other child?

She then listened closely to the doctor and the nurse.

"I don't know why he isn't crying…wait, doctor."

"What is it?"

"His…his semblance…it's activated!"

"What?" the doctor walked over to the newborn.

Raven couldn't hear the rest of their conversation but saw Taiyang hold her second child, the younger of the two as he was standing with the doctor before walking back with the doctor in tow.

"It's a girl." Taiyang said as he held his daughter.

"…What about-"

"Your son is fine." The doctor said holding the older twin. "However, it seems that he activated his semblance right when he was born."

Raven found herself holding the twins.

Heh, twins…

She was a twin and now she had twins.

"We'll have to keep your son here for a bit longer than usual." The doctor apologizes as she bowed slightly. "Just to make sure he'll be fine after the activation of his semblance and unlock of aura."

"That is after you name them of course." She added.

The two began thinking of names. They agreed that Taiyang would name the girl and that Raven herself would name the boy.

"How about Yang? Yang Xiao Long, I think it fits." Taiyang said as he smiled down at the daughter in his arms.

Raven however looked down at her son. " _He was born with his aura unlocked and with his semblance activated?_ " she didn't think that was possible. She wondered how much aura he was born with and why the semblance activated…or was it due to the side of his aura that caused it…

She watched as her son opened his eyes at her for the first time…and they looked just like hers.

Red, the same shade of red as her eyes, but there was one difference between their eyes, in his red irises where three tomoes surrounding his pupils, three in each eye.

Was this his semblance? A semblance connected with his eyes?

"Madara." She said aloud. "Madara Branwen."

She looked at her son, Madara before she had to get some rest.

* * *

Outside of the hospital rooms, two figures where sitting on chairs patiently waiting.

The first was a woman with a pale complexion, black and red hair and silver eyes. She was wearing a grey blouse, a grey waist cincher with grey lacing and a grey skirt. The most notable thing she was wearing was a white hooded cloak.

This was Summer Rose.

The second person was a man with greying black, spiky hair, red eyes, and slight stubble along his jawline. With a red, tattered cloak, he wore a grey dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. He was also wearing a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right fourth finger, and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant.

This was Qrow Branwen, Raven's twin brother.

The two sat in silence as they patiently waited for any news from Taiyang. Qrow looked up as he saw Taiyang walk out with a smile.

"Tai!" both Qrow and Summer stood up as the now father of two walked over and began to talk.

"How did it go? Is every okay? What are their names?" Summer asked nearly up in Taiyang's face as Qrow held her somewhat back.

"No complications…right?" the male twin asked.

"No complications." Tai said. "However…"

"What? What Tai?"

"Nothings wrong." Tai held up his hands as the two seemed to lean more closely in. "First I have to tell you the names. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Either." Qrow shrugged.

"Well, the youngest is a girl named Yang."

"Yang Xiao Long, just your name without the Tai."

"It sounds like you named the girl, so Raven must have named the boy."

Taiyang rolled his eyes at the two as he directed them to follow him to meet the children. "The oldest is a boy. His name is Madara."

"Madara Xiao Long. Well at least Raven had a bit more originality." Qrow smirked.

"Actually his name is Madara Branwen."

Qrow just scratched the back of his head. "Yeah…that sounds like Raven…" he muttered. "I do admit though, Madara Xiao Long rolls off the tongue better than Madara Branwen, but it still works."

"Wasn't there something you were going to tell us?" Summer asked as they came to the room where Raven and the babies were.

"Madara…when he was born, his semblance was activated."

"Wha-"

Taiyang quickly silenced the two. "Quiet. Babies remember."

"S-Sorry…" the two apologized.

"Apparently his semblance is something to do with his eyes. We don't know exactly what it will do, but it deactivated when he went to sleep."

"Hmm…" Qrow rubbed his chin. "To activate his semblance right when he was born…he must have some aura to do so. Wonder how it unlocked."

"We're here." Taiyang opened the door in front of them.

The trio entered the room where a tired Raven was holding the twins. She had a little bit of rest, but hopefully now she could get some more rest.

Raven and Qrow immediately locked eyes. "Shut up Qrow." She said before Summer came over to see both Yang and Madara before leaning in and began to whisper.

"Hey, Rave." Summer whispered as Raven just looked at her. "Does…does it really hurt?"

Raven just gave Summer a blank stare. "I-I'll take that as a yes." Summer slowly leaned back.

"Do you want to hold them?" Tai asked. "You guys are their godparents after all…and I guess uncle too."

"Can we? I want to hold them."

"Seems like someone's eager." Qrow said.

"Come on, you know you want to hold them too."

"Sum, here's Yang. Be careful."

"Of course I'm going to be careful." Sum pouted.

Qrow watched as Summer held Yang before he turned his head slightly and saw Taiyang standing there with Madara.

"…What are you doing?"

"Come on. You know you want to hold him."

"Listen Tai. I'm not good with kids."

"Just do it."

"…Fine." Qrow gave up and took the child. "…I just hope my semblance doesn't so anything…"

"It'll be fine Qrow."

"Yeah…whatever you say."

Qrow looked down at the newborn in his arms before the baby yawned. "Rough day huh?" he gave Madara a small smile.

He could get used to this…the whole uncle thing. Yeah, he'll be the cool uncle.

* * *

Soon they had to leave as Raven and the twins had to stay a bit longer.

Raven opened her red eyes in the dark as she took in what had happened with Madara's birth.

His semblance was activated for the first time, which means his aura was unlocked.

Aura, the manifestation of the soul which everyone has except for the Grimm…

Semblance, the manifestation of one's innate and personal power, usually unique to the individual unless it was passed down from their parents…

Madara…how powerful was his aura to awaken his semblance at birth?

She closed her eyes and got back to rest. She would have to think about this later.

It was late enough as it was.

* * *

When Raven was able to leave the hospital with both children, she and Taiyang had learnt that Madara had quite the amount of aura and it would only grow bigger.

The doctors did confirm that it was to do with his semblance. What power did those eyes hold?

There was much potential in Madara. Potential that has yet to be tapped into.

It would be a wonder to see how powerful Madara would become and see how his semblance works with his still growing aura.

* * *

It had been a month since the twin's birth as Raven stood above the crib that held both siblings.

They were both very close to each other with Yang clinging to Madara in her sleep. However Madara was looking at his sister before Raven started to walk away.

She came to a stop before walking back to the crib and when she looked back it, Madara turned his head back to her with a happy smile…and the second time his semblance was activated.

…

Raven made a choice, then and there. She picked up Madara and started to walk away from the crib and into a portal.

She had spent enough time here. It was time to return to the tribe.

Returning with potential to become something greater, something no one would imagine to become in the future.


	2. The Tribe

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Madara or RWBY**_

Chapter 2: The Tribe

Years had passed since the day Raven had taken Madara with her back to the tribe.

Madara was now ten years old and he showed a lot of promise and even further potential. When Madara was old enough to begin training, she had begun training him along with the rest of the tribe who were very accepting of new members like her son.

Then again they took her and her brother in after all.

Madara soaked up learning how to fight like a sponge. While he still has room to grow much stronger, he might just give some people a run for their money.

The mother of two passed by some trees to her destination just up ahead. Who knew a choice made in a second could bring such wonderful results in such little time? That's if you count ten years as little time.

She was glad that he had lived up to her expectations. He would be such a strong fighter in the future and maybe, he could take over as the next leader of the tribe after her.

She had no regret in her decision.

If she had left Madara with Taiyang, Qrow and Yang, she was sure that Madara would be weaker than what he was now.

He would be sheltered from the real world.

He would start his training later than at the early age he began.

He would be definitely weaker if he was raised there with them.

Then there was his eye semblance and there was a lot to take in seeing as it apparently had multiple abilities which was unheard of from a single semblance.

The tribe leader stopped at her destination. The dirt underneath had turned into water as she looked at a large rock with a smooth surface in the middle of the plunge pool of a tall waterfall.

There on the rock was Madara sitting as if he was meditating.

He had chin-length black hair that parted to frame the sides of his face. He was wearing a blue long sleeve shirt and long white pants with sandals.

His head rose ever so slightly before it turned around to face her, the same shade of red eyes looked at her but with three tomoes. His semblance was activated.

Madara named his semblance the Sharingan.

His eyes currently had two broad abilities: the Eye of Insight and the Eye of Hypnotism.

Both of the broad abilities had their own unique abilities, the Eye of Insight had three and the Eye of Hypnotism had only one.

The first ability of Insight they discovered with his eyes was the fact he could see the aura of a person and since aura's colour was different from person to person, it made identifying who the aura belong to much easier. However she did think that if aura didn't have a colour that the semblance would still give colours and that wasn't all, he could see through some obstructions, sadly not all, and even detect irregularities in someone's aura, like if someone was caught in an illusion.

The second ability of Insight they discovered was that he was granted incredible clarity of perception, enabling him to read lips or even mimic something like pencil movements, which actually excelled him at learning to write. The amazing part about this ability was when it was used in combat. In combat, it allowed him to see fast-moving objects and offers some amount of predictive capabilities: he could anticipate an enemy's next move based on the slightest muscle tension in their body and act accordingly to dodge or intercept.

The third ability of Insight was to copy almost any type of combat his eyes saw. A unique fighting style, a certain way to wield a certain weapon, he could 'copy' it with near-perfect accuracy. He could then either preform and use the same style of fighting or modify it to suit his needs. Sadly the thing he couldn't copy was another person's semblance.

The first ability of Hypnotism was that he could cast illusions with his eyes on someone. Through eye contact he could suggest thoughts and actions to a target, coercing enemies to divulge information or act in a particular way, without the target's awareness. She wondered if he could use his Sharingan to take complete control of the target's body and force them to do exactly as her son wished. The illusions he could make varied and was probably up to his imagination.

The second ability of Hypnotism was not really an actually ability, more like a small bonus. Madara would have to perfectly mimic every move his opponent makes and possibly their thoughts and words through careful observation, then suggest an action to the opponent which he would then copy and he could finish the action first.

While it wasn't a real ability, it was very handy to have. If he had fire dust and the enemy had a ranged weapon and he didn't he could mimic their thoughts and actions perfectly and then subtly suggest the use of fire dust which then could bring him back to the advantage if he had stronger refined fire dust while the enemy had weaker fire dust. It gave the illusion that he could see the future without including the prediction of an enemy's next move.

Compared to the first and only ability of Hypnotism, the second couldn't compete. The second was more suggestive hypnosis and seeing as he could just use illusions to do what the second technique wasn't really that great in comparison. However, it was still helpful in certain situations. Mainly if he was low on aura, then this technique was much more viable.

Despite having these abilities, it didn't make him perfect. While he was a rising prodigy within the tribe that didn't mean having these abilities made him strong, he had to continue training and working.

He even trained without his semblance. Reliance on such would only lead to weakness and his downfall. To be strong he had to be strong in both using his semblance and without his semblance.

He also needed to know when and where to use it too. He was born with big aura reserves and while they kept growing that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to run out of aura while fighting.

Then there was the fact that they didn't know if that was all his semblance could do. The Sharingan was an interesting semblance. Maybe one day it would become a hereditary semblance.

However because of his Sharingan's ability to memorize he had asked a question she wasn't expecting.

" _Mother…who was that baby next to me? That was my sister right?_ "

She remembered the exact date he had said that to her which was a few years ago. She wasn't expecting such a thing and that lead to her learning one of his eye abilities.

Eidetic memory or more known as photographic memory, he not only copied with his eyes. He memorized. His eyes could memorize whatever they saw when activated.

He remembered Yang as a baby.

He remembered her taking him with her to camp.

He remembered the day of his birth.

It was the same ability that he used to copy and memorized opponent's moves, but also things like people, surroundings no matter how long ago it was.

That also meant another thing about his eidetic memory. While he could recall images from memory after a few instances of exposure, with high precision for a brief time after exposure, he could view memories like photographs for a few minutes and recalling pages and scroll text with in great detail.

And all of this could be brought up by will, able to store all that he has learned and use them to his advantage.

If he wanted to remember the memory of him reading a book to find where the location of a certain type of flower in remnant he could just bring it up and not have it plague his mind.

Now that brought something else up. Since it's his semblance, when he was a baby its activation was random.

That meant when he was still a baby he saw her naked with his semblance.

Thinking about it, it was a bit odd that he had her naked body carved into his memory because of a random activation as a baby. But it was her son and she didn't really care if her son saw her naked and it seemed to be the same seeing as Madara was taking after her and it was very likely that he wouldn't even care.

She did tell Madara that the baby he was pretty sure was his sister was indeed his sister named Yang Xiao Long opposed to his last name of Branwen.

She expected him to ask why she took him or why his sister of father wasn't around but he didn't. She assumed it was due to the memory of her taking him and leaving them.

Madara deactivated his semblance which only removed the three tomoes leaving the same type of eyes she had.

"Yes?" he asked waiting for a response from his mother.

He also took in his mother's appearance and like before from his memory, she almost hadn't aged a day.

Raven wore a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets, an object that looks to be made from feathers hangs from the right side of her skirt. She also wears detached black leggings with a red splatter pattern, and black leather boots beneath them.

In her hands is one of her most distinctive feature was a fearsome, full-face mask that resembles the face of a Creature of Grimm. The mask has four eye slits, further enhancing the character's inhuman appearance.

Over the years Raven had kept her youthful appearance but there were now slight age lines under her eyes.

That was the only way one can tell that she had aged from just looking at her. Soon she'd be getting mistaken as his sister rather than his mother.

However it was one thing some of the other members of the tribe brought up about her youthful appearance.

"Come on." She gestured him to come over.

Without a word Madara rose before stepping down onto the water. Using his own aura he began to walk on the water.

It was a technique that used aura to walk on a body of water, yet another useful technique.

It was just limited to just Madara, but the whole tribe could use it.

Aura was usually used for defensive and offensive means with the added ability of healing and unlocking another's aura.

It turned out that there might be more applications aura could be used for than what they knew.

"Back to the tribe?" he asked as he stepped on the shore.

"Back to the tribe." She repeated as the two walked back to the tribe's camp. "We are preparing to move. So get prepared."

As the entered the camp they saw the members of the tribe.

"I see your back." One of the tribe members Madara knew the most. "Were you out training again?"

Madara turned to look at the man. He was a tall and muscular man without any hair on his scalp. He wore dirty green pants and covering his torso was more akin to makeshift armour made of metal and leather covering enough for his chest, back and shoulders while still showing his torso.

"I was." He gave the man a look. "And what about you Swan?"

Swan just grinned. "Replacing some damaged armour."

"Again?" he asked. "Why don't you get some actually armour?"

"Eh? Nah." The man waved the idea off. "Not my style."

"I noticed."

"Oh Madara. I heard that the old tribe leader wanted to speak to you."

"He does?"

Swan nodded. "Don't know what about, but you should go see him."

Madara turned back to Raven who just gestured him to go. "Will speak later." She said before moving on leaving Madara by himself as he walked to the previous tribe leader before Raven took over.

He stopped before a tent which the old tribe leader resided in. In front of the tent was a faunus.

"Morning, Turaco." Madara greeted with a slight nod.

"Morning, Madara." The faunus said.

Turaco had very short green hair resembling that of a buzz cut however he had a green mohawk that slid towards the back. His most distinctive feature was his faunus trait. He had a beak. A bird's beak that covered what would be his mouth and nose if he didn't have a beak.

He wore a sleeveless dark green shirt, long black pants with a pair of boots. In his hand was a knife as he carved something out of wood.

"He's waiting for you inside." The faunus said.

"Thank you, Turaco." Madara walked past the faunus and entered the tent.

"Hohoho, young Madara." The old man joyfully chuckled as he stroked his beard.

"Old leader…Potoo…"

You heard him correctly; the old man's name was Potoo.

Potoo was an elderly man with less hair on his head as the years rolled on by but he still kept his grey-white beard. He wore a clean grey robe as his large yellow eyes looked around.

"You wanted to see me?" Madara asked as he sat in front of the old leader.

"That is correct." He said as he poured a cup of tea. "Want some?"

Madara looked down at the cup he was offering. "Sure."

"I have to say Madara, your improving by the day."

"Isn't that what training is used for?" Madara asked as he took the cup.

"I suppose it is."

"So what do you want to really to talk about Potoo?"

"Once we move once more. I believe it's time to start making your own weapon." Potoo told the youth. "And then, we can continue with your trials."

Madara finished his tea before setting the cup down as his mind went to the trials. The trials were to see how far he had progressed in combat with the use of dust, CQC and weapons.

The trials were usually against one of the other tribe members or against the creatures of Grimm where he had to kill.

Honestly, the trials weren't important at all but more of a coming of age rite than anything.

If any child was in the tribe, than they would go through the coming of age rite or trails as Potoo called them.

Apparently his mother and uncle went through this and now him. Madara assumed that a few others who were taken in by the tribe as children went through it as well if only to show how much they have progressed.

It was just that, a show of progression.

Madara was currently the only child in the tribe and he didn't know if another one will be taken in or born.

Madara bowed to his elder before he stood and left the tent with his mind on his weapon. He had the perfect idea for his weapon that could also incorporate the use of dust, aura and both close and long range, however the long range was only through said aura and dust.

A rush of excitement ran through his body. He couldn't wait to make his own weapon and have the advantage of surprise too.

Madara looked around at the camp, everyone was packing up and ready to move out while finishing and fixing a few things before they left like Swan and his homemade metal armour.

At least he now had some metal knee guards.

Madara reached where his tent was as he went to pack his stuff which wasn't much. The tent he slept, a bedroll and clothes for example.

It was packing the essentials for the trip to their next destination. The tribe was always on the move and because of this their 'settlements' which consisted of tents would always had to be picked up and moved when they change location.

However if they come across an abandoned settlement like a small village with buildings, then they'd set up shop there for a while longer with the bonus of added protection then the wilderness.

It didn't take Madara long to pack up his stuff however he would have to temporary borrow a weapon seeing as he didn't have his own yet, which was a shame.

He used various like guns and swords like his mother's odachi. However the weapons belonged to other members of the tribe so he couldn't use them all the time but when it came to dust he could use that as much as he wanted seeing as dust was available for everyone to use.

When it came to the usage of dust he had an affinity to fire dust the most.

Madara picked up the vials of dust he would use as he heard a voice.

"You all packed up already?"

He turned to see two people.

The first was a woman with short red hair and light blue eyes. She wore

"Passerine…" He nodded at her before looking at the second.

The second person was also a woman and she wore a dark green jacket with a hood with white fur-like material around the edge of the hood, blue jeans and a gas mask.

Under the gas mask she had bleach blonde hair and green eyes.

"…Parrot." He nodded at the second person.

"You…ready?" Parrot asked as the youth nodded.

"Ready to move out." He answered.

"Good to hear because we are leaving in ten minutes." Passerine smiled before walking away to go get her things.

Parrot turned to Madara. "…See you soon." She waved and headed in a different direction.

Ah what a shy one she was.

Madara stood up as he took his stuff before walking over to one of the nearby stumps as he waited for the others.

On another stump was a male with short spiky black hair with an eye patch over his right eye which was lost in battle. He wore white-grey body armour with red highlights, black pants with some grey areas, a belt with a few pouches, a handgun strapped to his hip and a sword in a collapsed mode strapped to his lower back.

He was currently cleaning his rifle which was strapped across his back when he wasn't using it.

This was Swallow, yet another member of the tribe.

He was probably the most armed and his armour was what got people shocked when they saw him.

Swallow was an ex-member of the Atlas military. The red highlights gave it away that he was infantry.

Leaning against a tree was another male. He had scruffy black hair, red eyes, and a pale complexion. He wore a worn out, open grey coat over his black singlet with tan pants and a thick brown belt. This was Grouse.

On yet another stump was a female faunus with long purple hair with matching purple eyes and a small birthmark under her left eye. Her faunus trait was actually her feet being talons instead of feet. Another rare faunus trait but she could easily hide it by wearing shoes seeing as her feet despite being talons of a bird still had a human-like foot shape.

She was wearing a white tank top, black fingerless gloves and black, puffy hakama-styled pants with the exposed parts covered in bandages.

This was Cuckoo, one of the faunus members of the tribe.

Speaking about faunus, there was another one by the name of Crane. Crane wore a dark sleeveless shirt paired with matching pants, provided with a waist guard, and striped arm and leg-warmers.

He had medium length, smooth white hair with orange eyes. Madara didn't exactly know what his faunus trait was, but he assumed he was a rare faunus that could hide those faunus traits.

Right next to him was Crane's partner and best friend, Heron.

Heron wore the same type of clothing as Crane. A dark sleeveless shirt paired with matching pants, provided with a waist guard, and striped arm and leg-warmers, but he also had a brown sash across the front and back to hold his large sword on his back.

He had dark coal eyes with a grey set of hair which was shorter than his partner's hair.

"One hundred down, nine hundred to go…" Crane said as he finished folding his hundredth origami crane.

"Why bother making them now if we are leaving Crane?" a young woman asked.

She has short and shiny black hair and light blue eyes. She was wearing a red shirt with the collar popped up with a black blazer overtop with matching coloured business pants.

This was Auk.

"If I make one thousand I can make a wish." Crane replied without sparing her a glance.

"Just let him make his cranes, Auk." Another voice said.

"Alright, Plover, I'll drop it."

Plover was also a young woman with brown hair tied in a bun and bangs that frame her face and left eye. She wore earrings on each ear and was dressed in a long kimono with cloud and thunderbolt printed on it and a black obi sash with two belts tied over it and wearing wedge heeled wooden sandals.

"We're moving out." Raven said as she walked over causing everyone else to stand up and pick up their things.

Just then from a tree that gave the stumps some shade a figure jumped down, yet another female figure.

She was wearing a black form-fitting full body suit that went from her neck down with the exception of both arms and an opening that showed some cleavage. On top of that she wore a white scarf with a loose red short kimono without sleeves with the top slightly open (also showing some cleavage) and a white cloth tied around her waist.

She also wore dark blue fingerless gloves that reached up just before her elbows, and sandals just like Madara. On her thighs was a pair of pouches that allowed her for quick drawing of her weapons.

" _Ah, so that's where Caracara was…_ " the young Branwen thought.

Caracara had deep violet eyes and long eyelashes. She also had long dark blue hair, evenly trimmed bangs and two shorter, rectangular strands falling on her face.

Caracara was pretty much an assassin and the right hand woman of his mother, or maybe left hand woman. It was speculated that Madara himself would be his mother's second hand.

Not only was she an assassin, but she was his mother's bodyguard in a sense. Sometimes she would hide in the shadows and trees and stay close to her when they were out. She didn't guard Raven all the time as Raven was stronger, but when she wasn't doing her own thing or protecting Raven from the shadows on her orders, sometimes Raven would order her to protect or watch him.

Madara looked at each tribe member as they were all burnt into his memory thanks to his Sharingan. If they ever die, he would never forget them.

This was his family, a family of murderers and thieves.

 **This chapter is more about the Tribe and a little bit of Madara. Who knows, I might have predicted some names.**

 **In this story, Madara is more of an anti-hero than villain, but then again he'd probably be seen as a villain by the other characters.**


	3. Exposure

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 3: Exposure

The tribe moved from the old campsite they were at, moving at a moderate pace.

"Hoho, why are you in the back Madara?" Potoo asked as he, Madara and even Swan was at the back. "Shouldn't you at least be at the front with Raven and Caracara?"

"We are simply the rearguard." Madara stated they continued on their way. "The rear needs more power just in case we are attacked."

A shadow passed over them as the youngest member of the tribe looked up. It was a Nevermore and it seemed to be flying in the same direction as them.

"…It ignored us…"

"Well none of us are releasing that much negativity, but there might be stronger negativity ahead which drew its attention." Potoo stroked his beard in thought. "It may be at or past our destination. Keep your guard up boys."

"…Hn."

Swan grinned as he held his large sledgehammer over his shoulder, or was it a war-hammer. They both kinda looked the same.

"Hey Madara, reckon we can keep it?"

"Grimm are animals in a sense. So only if you can tame it Swan."

Swan's grin only grew with that.

They had been on the 'road' for a few hours now and were closing on their next destination.

Passerine put her arms behind her head. "I hope we find an abandoned village. It'd be nice to have a roof over our heads again."

"I agree with you but we all understand the reasons why we need to keep moving." Auk said as her eyes looked around them in case of any Grimm.

Just because a single Grimm ignored them didn't mean that the Grimm that couldn't fly wouldn't ignore them if they were in their way.

"It looks like we're almost there." Madara heard Cuckoo cheerfully say.

Madara came to a stop as he and the tribe looked down as the path turned into a cliff and down at the bottom was a small town.

However there was no Grimm.

"We just need to figure a way down." Turaco scratched the side of his head. "Looks like we have to jump down or walk down the long way…"

"Hm…" Madara narrowed his eyes as he looked at a tree. " _What if…_ "

"Oi, Madara." Swan called out. "What are you doing?"

"Just testing something out is all." Madara raised his foot near the tree. " _If I can use my aura to walk on water. What about applying it to things other than water?_ "

He stuck his foot onto the tree with the use of his aura. He felt it was much easier compared to when he used his aura on the water.

He then put his other foot onto the tree with aura. " _Ah. It works._ " He allowed a small smile to grace his lips before jumping off the side of the tree. " _Aura does have a lot of uses._ "

He then walked to the cliff side as Raven watched her son. " _Yet another use of aura you showed us._ " She thought as Madara asked Caracara for two of her kunai.

Raven waved her hand allowing the action as Caracara handed her son the kunai. " _Show me Madara. Show me how you'll get down there without the use of my portals._ "

Madara then jumped off the side of the cliff shocking the tribe members.

"He jumped off!" Nearly all of them shouted with others were just wide eyed.

As he fell Madara stabbed both kunai into the cliff as he began to slide down before coming to a stop shortly after. He stuck his feet onto the cliff as he used his aura just like he was walking on water.

He pulled the kunai out as he began to walk down the side of the cliff as the members of the tribe watched on.

Madara jumped off once he got into a safe drop distance and landed on the ground.

"Hey, Raven?" Raven turned to face Plover. "Was there a reason you didn't open your portal and let him jump down like that?"

"I wanted to see how he accomplished getting down the cliff without the use of my portals and he succeeded." The older Branwen then looked at Caracara. "Caracara, follow him."

Caracara nodded as she followed Madara by jumping off the cliff and using her kunai in the same way.

Raven opened the portal for the others to walk through to get down to the bottom. Caracara would already be at the bottom with Madara by the time the rest of the got through the portal.

* * *

Madara walked through the abandoned town as he saw Caracara follow his example except for the use of aura.

"Here's your kunai." Madara said as he threw the kunai which Caracara caught with ease, especially since it wasn't thrown with the intent to kill.

"Raven and the others would be here soon." She said as Madara just nodded and continued to walk through the village. "You shouldn't wonder too far."

Madara just turned his head back to Caracara. "Isn't that why you're here with me?" he asked.

Caracara didn't answer as Madara just gestured her to follow me. "I'm going to patrol the town."

As Madara walked away the assassin followed.

The destruction of the town didn't look recent, it looked old. "The houses are still durable it seems." He wondered aloud. " _Usually attacks of Grimm and even bandits like us sometimes destroy the buildings._ "

" _The problem is…it's too clean._ " Madara was quite wary of this small little town and to add to his wariness was the fact that the place wasn't overgrown with flora. " _The grass is perfectly cut. Compared to the old buildings, they look recent._ "

"Caracara, have you noticed?"

Caracara nodded as she held her two kunai ready for action. They both had a bad feeling about this place.

Madara approached one of the houses and opened the door. Nothing was inside…but there was still the feeling he couldn't shake.

This place didn't sit well with him.

"Let's go to that temple." Madara pointed at a temple seemingly in the middle of the town. It looked out of place due to how clean it was.

The two opened the door of the temple before walking in. It was quite dark in the temple but thanks to the door being open they were provided some light.

Caracara picked up a candle and lighted it with small sparks of fire dust just as the door behind them closed.

"We should stick together-" Caracara was interrupted as they both spun around.

"Something moved."

Madara simply held out his hand waiting for a kunai. Once he got his 'weapon' he and Caracara approached where the shadowy figure once was.

Madara's eyes formed into the Sharingan.

Caracara walked slightly forward before Madara pulled her towards him as a pot flew past and shattered once it connected with the wall.

"I can't see any aura. It has to be a Grimm." Madara walked forward holding up the kunai.

His eyes widened as he quickly brought up some lightning dust and put it in his mouth before a sharp thin stream of lightning came out of his mouth in a straight line hitting the pot thrower.

It was indeed a Grimm.

It was a Geist, a possession-type Grimm. Its base form was covered in bonelike spines with long, skeleton-like forearms and sharp fingernails. Due to its ghostly appearance of lacking a lower body, it floated through the air while leaving behind a black smoke trail. Its face insists of Grimm markings on a bone plate with a single eye.

However it wasn't alone.

The other Grimm was a Jorogumo.

It was a Grimm that consisted of two different halves, the upper half and the lower half with the upper half being similar to a human.

The humanoid body has long tendrils that resembled hair, slim arms, and a bone like mask while having a body that resembled a human female with bone plates covering the front of its torso.

The lower half of the body was that of a giant spider with bone plates on each of the eight legs and on the back which resembled a human skull.

His lightning dust had hit the Geist which caused it to flip out. "Caracara! It's heading towards the door."

As Madara said this the Jorogumo lunged at him.

* * *

The tribe walked through the village looking around before they were about to set up camp.

"So where's Caracara and Madara?" Swallow asked as they approached the centre of town where the temple was.

The doors of the temple blasted opened as the Geist flew out followed by many shurikens.

"…Forget it." Swallow took his rifle and aimed it at the Geist and fired.

Next to him Grouse fired his black desert eagle from his left hand as he held a long-bearded axe in his right.

"Damn this thing is fast." Grouse complained.

"Then keep firing!" Crane shouted.

"Don't let it possess anything!" Raven ordered.

Raven saw Caracara stopped at the temple door before turning around and heading back in.

"Be careful! There's more than one Grimm!"

Passerine saw where the Geist was heading. "It's heading to the statue!"

The statue was that of a large man that looked like a knight with a sword and shield. It was probably the founder of the old village before its abandonment.

Passerine held up her sniper rifle and fired but to no avail as the Grimm entered the statue, replacing the knight's face with the face of the Geist.

The statue slowly began to move before coming to life.

Heron took the greatsword of his back. The sword was long, wide and dark grey with a red-black handle.

Swan had his sledgehammer at the ready before both he and Heron took off towards the Grimm.

Swan swung the sledgehammer at the knee of the statue leaving a nice crack in it. Heron also took a swing at the other leg followed up by Crane who wore mechanical gloves that left an impact on the same leg.

Passerine kept shooting around the Grimm's head as each member was far too quick for the Grimm to attack.

Auk used her staff to jump up and land a hit on the Grimm that raised its shield arm just in time.

"Keep attacking!" Raven commanded. "Don't let it get the time to retaliate!"

Cuckoo landed on the Grimm's shoulders as her talons gripped the statue as she used her claw gauntlets on the head.

Swallow shot his handgun as he held his sword ready to go. "It seems its learning." He said as the Grimm had kept his shield arm up before he started to swing the sword.

"Damn it…my gases…aren't useful here…" Parrot said as she stood back with Potoo.

"Don't worry. You might be able to use them shortly." Potoo said. "And seeing as its hiding in the statue, I assume your poisons won't work either."

Parrot just shook her head. "No…they won't."

Turaco jumped on the sword before running up with his trench knife that had a triangular blade with a flat face before it extended into a rapier and stabbed it into the statue's head.

The Geist left the statue as the statue began to crumble down as the Grimm tried to run away.

"Running away?" Plover asked as behind her was eight tomoe drums in the form of a circle.

The Geist didn't get far as it was shot by lightning dust from the tomoe drums. It fell to the ground before it started to evaporate into black smoke.

Raven looked towards the temple where the Geist flew out of…and where both Caracara and Madara where in.

* * *

Madara dodged each swipe from the Jorogumo and when he couldn't dodge he blocked with the kunai he was given.

The Jorogumo then spat out black webbing from its mouth as Madara jumped to the side before he was flung through a door.

"…What's that smell?" he wondered as shuriken embedded themselves into the side of the Jorogumo.

After getting back on his feet as the Jorogumo went towards Caracara he saw corpses, shrivelled up corpses of men and women.

" _Great, now that's burned into my mind._ " Madara run back towards the Jorogumo as Caracara kept throwing shuriken and kunai.

The Jorogumo spat out its black webbing towards the assassin before a kunai tore through its jaw.

The Jorogumo turned to face Madara. "Caracara. Get out." He commanded. She wasn't going to leave until she saw the fire dust in his hands.

She then ran out but not before throwing a kunai at the back of the Grimm.

With the fire dust now in his mouth, Madara then expelled a stream of intense flames from his mouth, engulfing the Jorogumo in flames and the temple itself.

* * *

The temple burst into flames as Caracara ran out shortly followed Madara. Once outside, he brushed off his shoulder as he continued to walk on.

" _Seems like they took care of the Geist._ " He thought as he walked down the burning temples steps. " _I need more fire dust too…_ "

" _Plus it seems that this place wasn't totally abandoned. Just set up to look like no one was here but recently._ "

The Jorogumo was a…different Grimm. Much like other Grimm back in the day when people used to believe Grimm were the souls of tortured animals, they said that the Jorogumo was once a spider that gained magical powers and the ability to turn into a woman.

Just like the legend however, the Jorogumo targeted men over women which was why there was only three women among all the corpses of the men. He was just lucky the Jorogumo didn't sing.

The Jorogumo would sing a song that distracted the man before being tied up in its black webbing and drained before ending up as a shrivelled corpse.

But like every other Grimm, it only got smarter with age. It was because of age that brought down the Jorogumo down easier than expected.

The Giest however was going up against many experienced fighters.

"You may want to put that out." He said idly as he pointed at the flames.

"So which Grimm did you two have to fight?" Swan walked over. "The Geist was a total let down. It wasn't even worth the effort."

"A Jorogumo, it wasn't as strong as the others though."

Yet another shadow flew above the group. "…An airship? Out here?" Potoo pondered.

"…Didn't a Nevermore fly in that direction?" Madara asked.

"Your right…must be them calling for help." Heron nodded as he put his sword back on his back. "However…it seems quite close."

The airship didn't move much and was close by to the tribe yet still far enough.

"The Grimm that were here are gone now. Let's set up here." Raven said. "Choose your house too."

Everyone picked up there things and started to set up after the temple was put out with water dust.

"Madara, you're with me." Raven said as she walked into one house.

Madara glanced at Raven who just walked into the house she chose. He followed her into the house as she motioned to take a sit on the ground.

"Is something the matter?" he asked as he watched his mother sit across from him.

"No, there isn't."

Madara only raised his eyebrow. "Then why am I with you?"

"Can't a mother be with her son?"

"…I guess so." He said after a second. " _But the other houses we stopped by I lived in by myself, so why now?_ "

"You want to tell me something." The user of the Sharingan suddenly said. "There's something you want to tell me and judging by things, it's serious."

Raven smiled. "You catch on extremely fast. I'm proud." She said. "But yes, there is something I need to tell you."

Madara watched as Raven placed a picture on the table. "A photo of a Grimm?" he asked.

"You know the real world, you've seen it. You've been exposed to it when you were seven."

"Six actually." He interjected. "I was six when I entered the darkness. It was just seven when everyone else believed I did."

He then looked at Raven rather than the picture. "But that's understandable seeing as my birthday was close to that day to be confused with." He said before his Sharingan appeared briefly for a few seconds. "But how can I forget? My Sharingan burns everything to memory."

* * *

Raven walked with her six turning seven year old son as they had just completed a successful bandit raid.

Madara knew what they did but his mind was in the wrong place. As if he was under an illusion of good and bad.

Raven drew her odachi before handing it to Madara. "Your growing stronger by the day and you keep impressing me with your growth. You went beyond my expectations." Raven said as Madara had a small smile. "But, there is one thing you need to do to become stronger."

"What's that?"

"Taking a life." She said. "The ability to fight for the tribe, to grow even stronger you must have no hesitation on taking a person's life."

Madara walked forward holding her odachi as he saw a white haired woman tied up on her knees on the floor.

"This is your first kill, your first step into the real world." She said.

He had no idea who this woman was but he suddenly got the order to kill her.

His Sharingan spun to live as the woman pled. "Please…don't." she cried. "Please…I got family."

"…So do I." Madara said as he swung the odachi at her neck as he cleaved through without any trouble.

She was an enemy to the tribe. She wouldn't have hesitated if it were one of the members of the tribe in her position whether it would be Raven, the others or even himself.

He closed his eyes as Raven clapped. "Very good. Welcome to the real world Madara." She said. "I'll give you some time to take this in, return my sword once you finished."

When Madara opened his red eyes he blankly stared into the ground like a lifeless corpse much like the one in front of him.

"My eyes have already been in the darkness." He said to no one other than himself.

Madara only drove himself further into the dark as her head fell onto the ground with a resonating thud.

* * *

"Yes, your first kill." Raven said. "And you grew stronger because of it. Now, what I'm about to tell you is about the Creatures of Grimm and the history of Remnant."

"First is of two gods, the god of light and the god of darkness." She started. "Two brothers, one older and one younger, existed on Remnant, filling it with both life and destruction. The older brother created water, plants and wildlife during the day, while at night, the younger brother would discover his sibling's creations and become disgusted. He created drought, fire and famine. Yet life had a strong ability to endure, so the younger god of destruction decided to create the Creatures of Grimm. He designed them so that they would have an innate desire to destroy everything and anything."

"Weary of feuding, the older god of life proposed that the two of them create one last thing together, a masterpiece they could both be proud of. The younger brother agreed and together they created a creature that was gifted with knowledge, creation, destruction and choice. Most important was the capability of choosing whether to use these gifts for light or dark. These creatures became known to be Humanity." She continued. "However after the creation of humanity, the gods abandoned Remnant. However the gifts of the two brothers were also given a physical manifestation, so that in Remnant now exist four relics, representing each of the four gifts bestowed on humanity. These relics each contain immense power, and it is said that, if someone were to wield all four, they could change the world."

"After that comes the story of the seasons."

"The seasons…as in the fairy tale and the actual four seasons…?" Raven nodded at her son's words.

"The story goes that an old hermit is visited by four sisters, who each in their own unique ways are kind to him; the first (Winter) by encouraging him to meditate and reflect, the second (Spring) by bringing him fruit and flowers and revitalizing his garden, the third (Summer) convincing him to step outside and embrace the world, and the fourth (Fall) by encouraging him to be thankful for what he has. The old man gave the four sisters great powers in return for their kindness, and as the embodiment of the four seasons, they go through Remnant spreading their gifts." After Raven has finished telling the tale she told him one more thing. "The maidens passed on their power to other maidens and still exist today."

"So you're telling me that the younger god created Grimm and that they abandoned this world?" her son asked. "You're also telling me there are these 'maidens' as well and exist to this day…"

"Yes, the maidens are protected by a special group…which your uncle is apart of." She added. "But, there is one thing you should know about the Grimm."

"And what's that?"

"They have a leader. They are led by a person or entity called Salem."

Madara's eyes widened. "They are led by a single person? Surely that can't be true."

"It is."

Madara narrowed his eyes at his mother. "How…are you so informed?"

Raven let out a small smirk. "I have my ways."

"…Right…" Madara looked down at the photo. " _So all this time…the Grimm are being led by this Salem? How is this possible?_ "

His eyes narrowed on the photo of Grimm. " _What if…we can tame them?_ " he thought before looking up at his mother. " _Also…the old man who gave out these special powers that were passed on? I need more information._ "

"How are the maidens and Salem connected?"

"If my information is correct, then Salem is hunting down the maidens." Raven said taking the photo. "…You got something else on your mind?"

"Ah, you can tell?"

"Of course, you're my child. Of course I can tell." She said confidently. "Just as you can tell that I had more information to hand out."

"It's more of thought than an actual question…but you said that these four maidens who passed on there powers originally got them from an old man…correct?"

"That is correct."

"So I've been thinking. Are the relics different from the maidens? I assume they are but is the old man actually one of the two gods?" he started asking questions. "If not why did he have such power?"

"But those are just some small thoughts. My main thought is…if the maidens' powers are only given to females, young maidens from the sound of it…can a male hold the same power as the maidens? Seeing as the four maidens got their power from an old powerful man."

"Those are questions I can't answer." Raven said as she stood up. "But…you do bring up a good idea that is worth investigating."

"…Why did you tell me this?"

"We need to be prepared for whatever we are up against." She said as she walked towards a door within the house. "…and I believe that you can help with that. Especially with your semblance and how much you progressed."

Raven walked into the room where Madara assumed she went to set up stuff. He rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked back outside.

"I'm not your tool or weapon."

Madara jumped onto the roof of the house as the sunset as he watched the distance airship rain down missiles down onto the city.

His Sharingan burned the memory into his mind as it resurfaced an old one.

It was just like last time…

* * *

A six year old Madara watched as an airship flew above a city.

"What's going on there?" he asked Caracara who was staying by his side.

"…There either sending reinforcements…"

"…Or something much darker..." Swallow said as he walked over.

"Darker? What are they going to do?" the young boy asked.

"Bomb it." Swallow told Madara bluntly. "They have deemed that city as being 'lost' to the Grimm. So they are going to bomb it…killing not only the Grimm but their own foot soldiers and civilians…"

Then the bombs rained down from the airship as Swallow walked away. "They're that willing to throw a whole city because of Grimm even if it meant killing their own soldiers and…innocent bystanders?"

"…Yes." Caracara told him as she placed a hand on his head. "…It's not all that different from what we do…but…they do it on a much larger scale."

"We aren't willingly to throw away our members of our tribe." A masked voice said as Parrot watched the bombing from a distance. "Those bombs and missiles pack quite the punch. Not only are they using fire dust, whatever isn't killed by the explosion is killed by the poison it emits."

"Thousands of lives…gone just like that…" Madara said as only he and Caracara remained watching as the airship flew off.

"Young master, surely your not thinking of going… are you?" the assassin asked as Madara turned around with his semblance activated.

Caracara's eyes widened as she fell to the ground caught by the six year old. "Sorry Cara, but I need to go and see for myself."

Due to the city being close by, Madara quickly got down to the city and saw only destruction.

Buildings were ruined, the earth was scorched as he put on one of Parrot's spare gas masks and held Caracara's many kunai.

What Madara saw the most of was…the countless corpses of men, women and children, his eyes 'recording' every single second of it.

" _How…how can someone do this?_ " he wondered as he saw a burnt woman cough. He ran up to the woman.

The woman looked at Madara's mask as tears fell from her eyes. She never got a word out as she passed away in the arms of the six year old.

He placed the woman back down as he took in her injuries into his mind.

She had no arms…and only one leg…

He looked around him at the other bodies. Corpses stabbed by rebar, mutilated and burnt, torn apart or never even forming the shape of the typical human body.

Some were lucky enough to not be hit with the bombs…but succumbed by the poison shortly after.

Madara walked through the devastated city as it just got worse the further he walked in.

What horrified him the most…were the children…loss of innocent life…some...were even younger than him!

It was burned into his eyes and his mind.

That was the day his eyes were opened to what this world truly was. Hell.

* * *

Madara closed his eyes as the airship continued raining down missiles on the 'lost' town.

Nothing changed.


	4. His Biggest Fan

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 4: His Biggest Fan

The sun had just begun to rise as a fist connected with a wooden dummy. Madara had awoken early in the day and begun to train before the sun could be seen.

He landed his final hit on the wooden dummy before walking back to the abandoned village they were calling home for now.

His mind was plagued with this Salem figure. Who was Salem? What was his or her goal?

While he had questions, there were no answers.

He highly doubted that his mother would have more answers. He wanted to know more about these relics and the maidens.

He needed more information…but the problem was where was he going to get it? How do you exactly get information about things this scarce and seemingly about a legend and someone who many people in the world didn't exist?

It was near impossible…unless he got in contact with the same person who gave Raven the information. So who was that?

However, today was an important day for him.

He walked to the burnt temple and entered searching for anything that might have survived the flames he spat out yesterday.

Most of the stuff was burnt including a statue of a monk. Madara wondered before he pushed the monk statue.

It was a total gamble but the statue started to move back towards the wall. " _Ah, a secret passageway?_ " he walked down into said hidden passageway. "I see…what a greedy little monk."

It wasn't a passageway; it was more of a vault.

There was some good stuff down here but it was mainly lien. Madara smirked as he walked further into the monk statue's hidden vault. It seemed he hit the jackpot here.

It wasn't uncommon for humans to be tempted by greed. The fact there was a hidden area of the temple brought up some theories on why it existed.

Either it was originally used for sacrificial rituals back in the day or he was actually used for a vault.

It was quite lucky he saw the tiny part of the floor unburnt due to the push back of the statue.

Madara saw a skeleton at the back of the 'vault' which meant that this was also used as a safe room.

"Your not using it." He said as he picked up the lien in the safe room. There were also dust within the room and it seems that were some smaller bones from food that contained such.

"What was your goal?" he asked the skeleton not really expecting an answer. "You locked yourself under this temple. By chance were you hiding from Grimm and took all the dust that could have been used to fight it and the money and food the survivors would have needed to live after they might have survived the attack?"

"Hm? What's that behind you o man of the cloth?" he pushed the skeleton out of the way as he saw what seemed to be a stone tablet etched into the wall. His eyes morphed into the Sharingan as he read the tablet. "Interesting, very interesting indeed. This will help me my weapon."

Madara stood up as he picked up the dust and left the temple. He still had plenty of time to follow the stone tablet.

He jumped up into a tree and easily climbed to the top. "Judging from the tablet…ah, that way." He jumped from the tree onto another before he continued onto another one.

Madara soon came to a cave entrance that was covered with foliage making it look like it wasn't a cave.

He entered the cave as he looked around in the darkness, the only thing he had on him was his dust and the dust he recently picked up.

He was prepared for anything that might encounter him within the cave. " _The cave is going deeper…_ " he noticed as he when deeper. His eyes widened as he saw something in the middle of the cave from the entrance.

From the small ray of light from above showed a beautiful white birch tree. A completely white tree with the few leaves also being white.

"So it does exist." He mused as he walked towards the tree. He offered the holy tree a small prayer to the tree before he got to work.

* * *

Swan leaned on his hammer with a bored expression. "Where is he?" he mumbled. "Today is the day he makes his weapon, but he is nowhere to be seen."

Raven was leaning against a tree with her eyes closed and arms crossed. "He knows that he would be making his weapon today." She said not bothering to open a single eye.

"Hohoho, he must be making his weapon as we speak." The oldest tribe member said.

"That is correct, Potoo." They all turned to see Madara walk towards them with his newly crafted weapon on his back.

Raven cracked open a single red eye. "So you made it in secret."

"Of course. Didn't want anyone see exactly what I was making." He sent her a smirk which actually caused Raven to smirk back.

"…HAHAHAHAHA!" Swan laughed uncontrollably at his weapon. "A fan?! Out of all weapons a non-folding fan!"

Madara took his weapon from his back. "It's a Gunbai." He told the heavy hitter.

The gunbai was a wide fan with tomoe on it and had a long handle with bandages wrapped around the base. It was white with a purple tint with a black border with the tomoe being located at the top of the gunbai the same colour as the border and similar to the formation of his semblance. It even had a hole in the bottom of the handle to allow a chain to be connected to it.

"Who are you going to test it with?" Raven asked as she had moved closer.

"Obviously the oaf who mocked it, it wouldn't be right to allow such behaviour to occur and I must show my 'partner' how wrong he truly is."

"Those are fighting words." Swan grinned as he raised his hammer. "You ready?"

"Of course. You're the one I want to test this weapon on."

Everyone cleared the area as Raven called the match. "Begin!"

Swan swung his hammer as Madara ducked and swung his gunbai and hit the side of Swan. "Ho! You can wield it like a mace." Swan said as both he and Madara jumped back. "I'll admit that that stung a little."

Swan went with a stab as Madara used the gunbai to block. "And as a shield too…?"

Swan kept swinging as Madara simply stayed on the defence. Swan raised his hammer over his head with both arms and slammed it down on the gunbai as Madara smirked.

"It's over." Madara said as the gunbai seemed to glow.

Swan found his attack nullified as Madara's gunbai converted aura into effects similar in wind dust or was it wind dust. Swan's attack was reflected at him suddenly and unexpectedly as wind sent him flying away.

After Swan recovered from the wall he crashed into he ran at Madara as Madara simply waved his gunbai like the fan it was and created a powerful gust of wind, strong enough to blow Swan away again and anything else that wasn't nailed down.

" _It works perfectly._ " Madara smirked as Raven ended the match.

" _So Madara's gunbai has the ability to nullify and convert incoming aura and possibly dust as well as his aura and possibly dust into wind dust and reflecting the attack back towards his enemy. It's durable enough to be used as a shield and strong enough to be used as a mace. He can also use it to generate gusts of wind with either the use of dust or aura, maybe even both…I wonder what else it could do._ " Raven thought as she saw Madara but away some fire dust.

"That's a shame." He slightly complained. "I was looking forward to create tornadoes of fire through fire dust."

"An interesting weapon you got there." Raven said.

"Thanks. It will surely take people off guard." Madara then walked to his room of the house he was currently sharing with Raven while they were here. "Now if you excuse me, I need to eat something."

"What a cheeky brat."

"You can say that again." Swan said as he walked over with his hammer. "Man now I know what it feels like when I attack myself."

"Go get some rest then." She told him.

"That's what I plan on doing."

* * *

As Madara ate some well needed food, he looked down at the white tree leaves from the white holy tree he used to craft his gunbai. He was glad he found it, but without the stone tablet, he assumed he might have found the tree by himself.

He recorded the information from the tablet as he remembered what the tablet said about the leaves. The leaves from the tree could be used to create medicine, and good medicine at that.

It was a shame that he had to leave the tree by itself when they moved once again, such a waste of good medicine materials, and weapon material it seemed.

He put the leaves safely away as he counted the lien and sorted out the dust he had obtained.

He would have to come back here whenever he ran low on those leaves if the medicine said to be created from it was true.

"…I'm treating myself Inarizushi today."

* * *

Five years have passed since the test with the gunbai as a fifteen year old Madara walked with Swan.

Madara had a change in outfit no longer wearing his long sleeved blue shirt and white pants but now wore a pair of black pants and gloves, with a white form-fitting shirt underneath a purple, high collared, long sleeve mantle that splits down the lower half and around his waist he wore a simple, light-purple obi and a belt and his gunbai strapped to his back.

Even his hair got a little longer as it was now around the middle of his neck rather than chin-length as it was a few years ago.

Madara currently had his Sharingan activated as he stared at a wall. "There in here. A majority of them." He said as he could see the aura of the people inside.

Swan swung his hammer which easily destroyed the wall. "Surprise!" he shouted as Madara ran past.

"What the-" the man who shouted that dropped dead as a large fan smashed his skull into another wall.

Madara dodged a few attacks as he retaliated while Swan just kept swinging his hammer and smashing all in his way.

One of the victims inside managed to get outside to call for help…only to see that the rest of the village was being attacked as well.

"B-Bandits…"

"That's right." The man turned around to see Madara as he threw the man over to Swan who slammed his hammer down on him.

As the bandit raid continued with more and more deaths, Madara looked up to the sky as Grimm flew above.

"Grimm!" one of the women fighting off the bandits said before being tackled by a Beowolf….before being ripped to shreds.

A Beowolf was a Grimm that resembled a wolf or werewolf. It had a bone-like mask with red markings, an angular head with prominent ears, as well as bone-like spikes protruding from its arms, backs, and knees. Their hands and feet were also tipped with long, sharp, white claws. Their glowing red eyes left visible trails of red light as they moved and small black smoke emanating from their bodies.

Soon the Nevermore from the sky came down and landed in front of Madara while letting out a large deafening screech.

The Nevermore was an avian that had features resembling those of several other bird species, it resembled birds like condors and ravens. It had a mask-like, white bony structure overlaying the upper front of its head and four red glowing eyes, two on each side of its head which on the headpiece had a dorsal spine or fin.

Interestingly, it two claws 'fingers' extending forwards from the outermost wing joint.

The Nevermore that landed in front of him was a large one.

As the tribe killed off Grimm, Madara stared at the Nevermore who roared at him. " _I wonder…if I can do it now? Take full control…_ "

Madara looked the Nevermore into the eye as his Sharingan spun as the Nevermore went to attack before stopping abruptly.

Madara watched as the Sharingan or what looked like the Sharingan appeared in the four eyes of the Nevermore. The Nevermore moved its head back as Madara smirked.

The tribe had finished killing the Beowolves as they watched as the Nevermore stopped its attack on Madara and moved back as the villagers of the town who survived fell to their knees or put their hands up.

Raven's eyes widened from behind her mask as she watched her son completely tame a Grimm with his semblance.

"He did it." She said. " _It seems like those days of non-stop training worked._ "

She had watched her son train with his Sharingan as if he was trying to accomplish a set task and now she knew. That meant one thing now.

The tribe could use Grimm.

Madara looked over to the survivors as his Sharingan faded leaving his normal red eyes. "Everyone form a line of the ground." He commanded as everyone stood and walked towards him as his gunbai was held firmly in his hands.

"Caracara." As soon as he said the name of the assassin, all those in the line dropped dead from shuriken and kunai to the back of the head.

"Another successful raid eh Madara?" Cuckoo asked the youngest member. She then looked up at the Nevermore. "…Its safe…right?"

"Yes." He nodded at both questions. "However what I fear is that it will die due to captivity."

"And of course moving with Grimm especially with that size will give us away if we are not careful."

Madara waved his hand as he commanded the Nevermore. "You can specifically sense my aura, correct?" he asked the large avian creature in front of him that simply cawed positively. "Good, then take to the skies and live until I flare my aura and hatred."

The Nevermore flapped its wings as it followed Madara's orders as it flew off in a random direction.

"Okay everyone, get to work!" Raven ordered as everyone begun moving to loot the village. "Except you." She said as she gripped Madara's shoulder.

"…" Madara glanced at his mother who took her mask off.

"You've gotten stronger." She said as Madara could hear a little praise in her tone.

She let go of his shoulder as she looked in the direction of the Nevermore. "To think that you'd be able to control a Grimm with your Sharingan…" Her eyes turned towards them. "However, was this part of your plan?"

"Whatever do you mean, mother?"

"Did you release your negative emotions to a whole other level while this village was releasing negative emotions as well?" she asked with a slight upwards twitch of her lips. "Or was this something you wanted to do when you see the next Grimm?"

"If you did plan this, did you intentionally choose the Nevermore to control or was that too pure coincidence?" Rave broke her glance away. "Then there is how you sent that Grimm away, Grimm are attracted by negative emotions but you said sense aura before. I must say sending it off was a good idea since they do die in captivity."

Madara crossed his arms, closed his eyes and smirked. "Why thank you, leader." He said with sarcastic mirth. "While Grimm can sense negative emotions that doesn't mean that they cannot sense aura despite not having any at all. It's just a hypothesis but that Nevermore I controlled gained tomoe in its eyes similar to my semblance. I doubt that it gained my semblance due to it having no soul, but it might have gotten the ability to see aura or just my aura and maybe my aura would be the only coloured one or it might just be the only aura it can see."

"I don't know if they are connected through my eyes or how far the range is but I think that it's because of my eyes that it might have gotten the ability to see my aura and be commanded by me."

"So you're saying that because of your control over them with your eyes, that Nevermore might have gotten some ability to be connected to you in some way such as aura or possibly an unknown connection with your eyes to know when you will call upon it." The tribe leader put her mask back on.

Madara nodded. "I believe so." He said. "The Nevermore is connected to me someway through my eyes. If I call upon it, it will come but how it will know when I call upon it as I said before is unknown. I don't know if there is a range or the eyes will let it know and draw it towards me. It might as I said before use my aura or maybe some other connection through my eyes."

Madara still had his eyes closed as he thought about how the Nevermore will return if he called for it. Did it have the ability to see through his eyes? He doubted it.

He wondered if the Nevermore did indeed get the ability to see his own aura out of everyone else's with a possible large range. However it could have simply been drawn back towards him due to his tomoe in its eyes.

There was a lot to learn.

He would know more when he called it.

"However to answer your other questions, who knows." He smirked. "However, wouldn't it suit a Branwen to have a bird?"

Madara felt a hand pat his head once but when he opened his eyes he was alone with Raven walking away. "Maybe you should test your theory now?" he heard Raven offering an idea.

Madara rolled his eyes as he went off to test his theory in a more secluded location.

* * *

Madara was now alone in a clearing as he flared his aura and waited a bit.

"…Was it a failure?" he wondered before he saw a shadow overhead.

From the sky the Nevermore landed in front of him as the Branwen extended his hand at the large bird as it nuzzled into his palm.

His Sharingan spun with new found energy. "So it can be activated without my semblance." He mused before he hopped on top of the Nevermore's back. "Let's fly."

The Nevermore flapped its wings before it took to the sky. "…It's…quite nice up here." He said standing on its back.

The world was truly beautiful from this view.

It was a shame that the people who roamed this land were anything but.

The sight was beautifully stored in his mind as he began to take notes on calling his Grimm.

" _I can flare my aura to call a Grimm that have my tomoes in its eyes. It has seemingly no range and my eyes can control them completely from a monster that won't hesitate to kill humans to a common house pet._ " He continued his mental notes as they continued flying. " _I don't know if I can choose which one if there is more than one but it does have some time before they come to me…I need to find a way to call the Grimm with less time for their arrival._ "

" _I believe when I flare my aura with the intention to call it, the tomoes in the eyes respond with my aura and draw it towards it so it knows where I am._ " Madara waved his arm as the Nevermore changed its direction. " _So a completely controlled Grimm will show my tomoe and my aura will 'summon' it from at least any range._ "

" _I wonder how I will make them come to me quicker? I need to work on that._ "

Madara looked down from the Nevermore. "Hm?" he wondered as while he had his arms crossed jumped of the Nevermore head first to the ground below. "Be on standby." He said as the Grimm flew away.

As he flew from the sky, he didn't bother to move from his crossed armed pose. Only when he got closer to the ground did he flip around before crashing into the ground.

Dust picked up from his rough landing as he straightened his posture as he looked at two people around his age who were coughing due to the dust.

The first was a male with long black hair tied into a ponytail that ended midway down his back. There was a magenta streak on the left side of his hair and his eyes matched said streak.

He wore a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that is red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming went down to the right side of his torso and formed a black collar with a black long sleeved shirt and light-tan pants with black shoes.

The second was a female with short orange hair and turquoise eyes. She was wearing a collared black vest that ends at her waist and under the vest are two layers of clothing, coloured red and light-blue respectively. She also wore a white sleeveless top that forms a tiny heart shape between her cleavage and collarbone, with a white detached sleeve on each arm.

She had matching fingerless gloves on each hand and sported a pink skirt that starts at the waist and ends mid-thigh. Her shoes had a mix of pink and white with pink laces and armour that begun in the middle of the shoulder and neck and ends by the waist.

As both the dust and the coughing faded they both looked at the one responsible who just had his arms crossed. Madara seeing their looks decided to greet the two strangers who were his age.

"Good afternoon."

 **Madara gets his weapon, his Gunbai…which wasn't that surprising…but he controlled a Nevermore and met the two survivors of Kuroyuri.**

 **In terms of pairings, I don't really have one for Madara…yet…if I do. If I do then maybe the rarer a character is or similar personalities or polar opposites? I don't know.**

 **With the Mangekyo abilities, I do have two in mind with a third being undecided.**


	5. Lotuses, Valkyries and Eyes

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 5: Lotuses, Valkyries and Eyes

"Good afternoon." Madara said to the two he landed in front of.

"Ren! Ren! Did you see that!" the orange haired girl asked as she pointed at Madara. "He fell from the sky and landed like nothing happened!"

"Yes, I saw Nora." The male said. "Sorry. The name's Lie Ren. But call me Ren."

Ren then gestured to his friend and travelling companion. "This is Nora."

"Nora Valkyrie!" Nora took over the introduction.

Madara unfolded his arms as he looked at the two of them. "I believe it's my turn. I'm Madara, Madara Branwen."

"May I ask why you fell from the sky?" Ren asked the red eyed teen.

"I was simply soaring through the skies and I saw you two and my curiosity got the better of me."

"So where did you come from? Where were you going?" the orange haired girl started asking more…weird questions. "Do you like pancakes? Can you make pancakes? Do you ever feel like there are multiple different versions of yourself in different dimensions or universes?"

Madara blinked at that last one…that was too specific to be a random question.

"Make I ask you why you two are out here?" Madara asked ignoring Nora. "Don't you know or have heard that there are bandits out here?"

"There are a group of bandits out here?" Ren asked while Madara nodded.

"Yes…I came across a village that had been hit by bandits. It was pretty bad."

"Well we were just travelling because Nora wanted to. We did plan on going to Atlas for a bit, but it seems that the security checks on Atlas are still…in effect, to a lesser extent."

"Security… checks? Did something happen?" Madara raised his eyebrow at that. Why were their security checks there?

"Apparently some rich family have used their wealth to make it more difficult to get into Atlas." Ren told the Branwen. "I don't really now why though."

"I see…so where are you going?"

"Originally to the nearest town, but seeing as there are bandits I think to the safest town."

"…I can escort the both of you the nearest town." Madara offered.

"Let's go!" Nora shouted as she raised her weapon into the air. Her weapon was that of a large hammer similar to the Swan's hammer but it seemed like it could change into another weapon.

"Hey, hey! Is that your weapon?" Nora asked as she seemingly moved at high speeds around Madara looking at his weapon.

Madara removed the weapon from his back. "Yes, this is my weapon. It's called a Gunbai."

"My weapon is a hammer!"

"I can see that…"

"Great for breaking legs!" she grinned.

"…What?"

"Ren, Ren, it's your turn!"

Ren pulled out his weapons which were a pair of fully automatic pistols with sickle-like blades attached vertically under the barrels.

"These are my weapons." He said as he put his weapons away.

"Now…shall we be on the move?" Madara asked as the two nodded.

Madara turned and walked away in the opposite direction the tribe was. "So Madara…"

"Yes Ren?"

"How did you know of the bandits?"

Madara came to a stop as he only turned his head to face Ren. "In one of their destroyed towns I was travelling too, I found the town destroyed and the people were dead…all but one who shortly passed away after relaying the information."

"Is it just you out here?" this time Nora asked.

Madara shook his head as he continued walking. "No, I'm with my family."

"Shouldn't you go back to them then?"

"That's not a problem. I can easily get back to them." He said as he stepped over a fallen tree. "I can take care of myself and they wouldn't mind be disappearing for a while. It's not the first time."

"Thanks!" Nora smiled. "It's nice to see friendly faces and the more the merrier!"

" _Right…friendly…_ "

Madara, Ren and Nora kept on the dirt trail as Madara began to learn a little more about these two. However when asked about himself, he lied about being in a constantly moving family.

From what he learnt from the two, and using more subtle tactics, he learnt that both Ren and Nora came from the same settlement.

Apparently Grimm attacked the settlement called Kuroyuri and those two were seemingly the only survivors and believed it was too due with Ren's semblance.

That got him curious but he didn't want to push deeper in case that caught on. His ability to subtly gather information was wonderful when he needed it.

"A protected town should be up ahead and we could possibly make it in about a day if there are no problems." The user of the Sharingan said as they continued on as the afternoon slowly passed.

"…You guys want to make a possible camp further down?"

"Ye-" Ren stopped whatever he was about to say when he saw something in the distance. "What…is that?"

The trio came across what appeared to be ruins of an old stone settlement or tomb-like area.

"Get down." Madara grabbed the two and pulled them down as he whispered.

The Beringel is covered in black skin, with bone-like plates covering its body at certain places like armour. There was a red pattern or symbol resembling an eye is present on its back. It had well-developed hands with opposable thumbs and was a about twice the height of a human.

"A Beringel…and Beowolves…"

One of the Beowolf started to turn to the trio where Madara felt Ren's hand on his shoulder. Madara felt…calmer…

He had noticed that he had been temporarily greyed out for a few seconds. The same Beowolf walked over before walking back after being unable to notice them.

"My semblance helps avoid detection by Grimm." Ren explained. "It makes myself and others calm."

"And because the Grimm can only sense Negative emotions, we are practically invisible to them even though they have eyes." Madara whispered. "You practically blend into the world. What would you call that?"

"He never really thought about it." Nora whispered.

"…How about Concealment?" Ren tested what he would call his semblance.

"It works." The other two said.

"What about you?" Madara asked.

"Got any lightning dust on you?" she asked.

"…Yes…?"

"Care to use it on me?"

"…Are you a masochist?"

Ren sighed. "Her semblance allows her to channel electricity to her muscles."

"Ren! It was supposed to come off as a surprise!"

Madara grabbed the handle of his gunbai. "You guys ready?" he asked.

They both nodded as he smirked. "Then let's go." Madara broke out into a sprint as he ran towards the Grimm.

He raised his gunbai as he swatted aside a Beowolf. From the corner of his eye he saw the orange haired girl fired what seemed to be pink dust canisters with a heart shape on them.

It seemed her weapon was both a hammer and a grenade launcher.

Ren ran out firing his guns at the Grimm as his semblance wore off as the Beringel picked up and threw a Beowolf at Madara who batted it away with his gunbai.

Ren used the blades on his guns to slash the Grimm that got close as Nora changed her grenade launcher into its hammer form before she slammed the hammer onto the head of a Beowolf.

" _Where's the Beringel?_ " Madara saw that the gorilla Grimm was gone as his Sharingan was looking around for said Grimm. Madara turned his head right around to see the Beringel coming down at him.

The Beringel crashed into the ground as Madara had gotten away from the impact site.

The Grimm burst through the dust that it made from the impact as Madara looked the Beringel in the eye.

His eyes widened before he grabbed his eye. " _What?_ "

The fists came down before the Grimm was swatted away by Nora's hammer. "Are you okay?"

"…Yeah." He said as he removed his hand from his eye. " _What just happened?_ "

Madara stood back up and he gripped his gunbai. He had to worry about that later as Beowolves ran towards him.

Madara closed one of his eyes as he looked a Beowolf in the eye. " _My eyes abilities can only be used at its full potential when both eyes are together. However closing one eye would focus and sharpen one if the other is closed even if the effects aren't at full potential._ "

Madara's Sharingan glared into the Beowolf causing it to freeze for just long enough for Madara to slam his gunbai on top of the Grimm's head and smashing it into the ground.

Both eyes glanced around as he saw Ren and Nora fighting Grimm.

He brought up his gunbai as he blocked an attack by the Beringel that came back for more. His gunbai shined brightly before it was repelled backwards by its own attack converted into wind.

He brought out a dust crystal and proceeded to crush it in his hands before pointing his palm at Nora just as he released myriads of lightning bolt branches from the palm of his left hand.

Nora was engulfed in the electricity before she smirked as she absorbed the lightning which channelled energy into her muscles. She sprung up ridiculously high and when she came back down she unleashed absurd strength that blew all the Grimm away.

Ren focused on the last remaining Grimm, the Beringel that Madara had sent flying away.

It was damaged but it seemed it still wanted to fight. It started to charge as Ren began to fire. Once the Grimm was close, he flipped over the Grimm and continued shooting before slashing the Grimm's back and neck.

The Beringel fell over as it started to evaporate into black smoke.

"I think that was the last of them." Ren said as he caught his breath.

"That! Was! Awesome! The way your giant fan glowed before sending that Grimm flying was amazing-" Nora shouted.

She continued talking about his fan which turned into her own weapon before the topic was going elsewhere.

Madara wasn't really listening after she changed the topic a third time as he looked around the area.

That Beringel had set his sights on him for a majority of that fight.

Glancing around with his Sharingan, he spotted it. Something watching him during that entire fight…it was…a weird feeling he couldn't describe.

It was the first time he ever saw something like it, and it was a Grimm!

The Grimm was quite small compared to other Grimm. It had a small, spherical body covered in bone-like plates, red tentacles coming from the bottom or mouth and a single yellow eye within its spherical body.

It was kind of like a jellyfish…a floating jellyfish.

Gripping his gunbai he burst into a sprint after the Grimm who floated away.

"Where are you going?" he heard Nora ask as he continued chasing the Grimm down.

He jumped up to a tree branch and pushed himself off to gain more speed. He stopped with wide eyes as he looked around for it.

"Where the hell did it go?"

"Madara?!" he faintly heard Ren and Nora in the distance, probably trying to catch up.

"Damn it…" he had lost the Grimm as he dropped off the tree. His semblance deactivated as he started to walk back towards Ren and Nora.

He looked at a tree…it was getting dark…

* * *

Madara walked back to the two as he carried some wood for a fire.

"Why did you run off?" asked Ren. "I don't think you ran off to get some firewood."

"I saw a Grimm." Madara placed the firewood onto the ground. "Its getting dark. Let's set up camp here."

"I agree."

"You know what?" asked Nora with a smile.

"What?" both males asked.

"I think we make a great team!" Nora said as she did some punching and martial art poses. "We will call ourselves team BRN, Burn."

"Uh-"

"We have an M, B, L, R, N and V to work with if we choose another team name."

"Nora-" Ren tried to get Nora's attention but it didn't work.

"We got so many team names to choose from!" she shouted as Madara gave up and went to start a fire. "…But we have to think of a word once we choose those three letters…"

Madara brought up a small amount of fire dust to spark flames on the campfire he made.

"…Now we need food…" he muttered to himself.

"Madara…what's your semblance?" Ren asked as Nora's attention came back to them.

"Yeah, Maddie, what's your semblance?"

Madara gave Nora a cold look. "It's Madara."

"Don't be so mad Madara."

"…Hn." Madara stood up from kneeling before he turned to them. "Watch my eyes closely."

Once he said this and when they were looking at his eyes, his eyes gained three tomoes. "This is my semblance. The Sharingan." He said and without a second to let them ask questions about what it did, he gave them the answers. "My eyes have special abilities which I call Hypnotism and Insight."

He explained some of his eyes abilities to the two as they sat on three separate logs. He hid some things like controlling a Grimm and some other things, but he was mostly upfront with them.

"Wow!" Nora stood from her log. "You must be a skilled fighter if you can 'see' their actions before it could happen. It's like battle precognition!"

"I guess so." Madara cracked a small smirk as he talked with both Nora and Ren.

Glancing from behind a tree was Raven with her Grimm mask on. She watched her son before leaning back into the shadows.

"What are you looking at Madara?" Raven heard Ren ask as Madara was looking in her direction.

"…It's nothing."

* * *

Madara sat on the log watching the fire as Ren and Nora slept. He told them he would take the first watch during the night. The thing was he wasn't going to wake them up.

"Hello Mother." He said as Raven walked into the campsite from the shadows.

Madara had moved slightly as Raven sat next to him on the log. "I see you made some friends."

"I wouldn't call them friends." He replied smoothly. "They are just newly acquainted strangers that I might not see again."

"So you decided to travel with them?"

"No." he bluntly told his own mother. "I'm just helping them get to a town, that is all and will return once I'm done."

"…I see…"

The two sat in silence as they gazed at the flame.

"Why don't you invite them to join the tribe?" Raven asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"They are too far in the light." Madara said glancing to his mother then Ren and Nora. "They wouldn't survive in the dark like me."

"…"

The two sat in silence one more, listening to the burning of the wood as it fuelled the flames.

Raven stood up as she opened a portal. "When do you reckon you'll be back?" she asked.

"At least a day." He shrugged. "I'll fly back on my Nevermore if it's still kicking."

Madara turned his head towards his mother. "Good night."

"Good night." And with that, she was gone.

Madara turned his head back to the flames as his mind drifted into thought. " _What happened back there? What was that flying jellyfish? Why couldn't I control that Beringal?_ " he narrowed his eyes at the flames. " _Can I only control one at a time? Was it that Grimm's fault? Is it eating away my aura with the control I have on the Nevermore? No that couldn't be it seeing as my aura has been fine…_ "

He looked up at the shattered moon. "What the hell happened?"

* * *

Meanwhile the jellyfish Grimm floated through what looked like a barren wasteland with rocky terrain and enormous purple crystals sprouting from the ground as the sky was stained dark red.

There were a numerous pools of viscous, tar-like substance.

The floating Grimm came to a halt before a woman who had her back on the Grimm. The woman turned around and despite looking human…didn't quite look human either.

Her skin was deathly pallor and covered with tortuous, deep red and purple veins that run up her arms and face. The sclerae of her eyes are jet black and her irises glow red. She also had a black diamond in the centre of her forehead.

She wore a very long black robe with red designs resembling eyes. She wore a ring resembling an insect on her right index finger and had white haired formed into a bun with six offshoots from which ornaments are suspended.

She looked at the Grimm with a smirk as her eyes glowed.

 **...The hardest part of this chapter was the title...**


	6. We Will Meet Again

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or JNPR**_

Chapter 6: We Will Meet Again

Madara opened his eyes as the sun shone brightly as the old flames had been put out.

His mind briefly wondered if Ren and Nora would be upset with him due to him practically pulling an all nighter.

He was tried and maybe he should've woken one of them up…or possibly gotten some sleep since there were no Grimm attacks during the night…which kind of made his all nighter useless in the end.

But it was better to be safe than killed in your sleep by Grimm.

" _They should be waking up soon…_ " Madara stood up and went to hunt some fresh meat or gather some fruit.

He came back with enough food for the three of them as he relit the fire to cook fish he had caught from a nearby stream.

The smell of the cooking fish had woken them up, mainly Ren as Nora was still sleeping but showed signs of waking.

"...You didn't wake us up." Was the first thing Ren said as he got up with a small stretch before walking closer to the Branwen and sat on one of the logs. "I thought you said we would take turns watching?"

Ren had noticed small dark spots under Madara's eyes showing that he indeed stayed up all night.

"Didn't want to inconvenience you." He said. "With my eyes I can see through the darkness clearly…but it was all useless in the end. I wish it could really see the future sometimes."

"Don't we all want to see the future sometimes?"

"Heh, I guess your right there."

Nora stirred awake as she smelt the fish. "Morning!" she practically jumped up.

"She got a lot of energy…" Madara observed before Nora started talking about a dream she had or a real feat she had accomplished.

"So this one time I was fighting a horde of Grimm, fifty Ursa Majors."

"It was one Ursa Minor." Ren corrected.

"After a long gruelling battle, I came out victorious despite the wounds and battle scars I received."

"Smash its head in with one blow with no injuries."

This banter continued as Madara ate his fish. He had caught three of them, one for each person as they too ate their fish.

From what he could tell was that Nora just took her dream and rammed it up too one hundred to the point of not being the dream itself. It was kind of odd how Ren knew the exact dream that occurred.

"After we finish here we will continue our trip." He said as he finished his own fish and stood up.

"What are you going to do in the meanwhile?"

Madara turned his head just enough to face Ren. "I plan to train for a little bit till the two of you are done and get ready."

"Shouldn't you get some sleep?" the male survivor of Kuroyuri asked.

"That won't be necessary. It's that point where I'm no longer tired."

Ren would have said something if Madara didn't walk away. "I hope he doesn't tire himself out…"

"He'll be fine Ren." Nora said with her usual cheerful demeanour.

"…I hope your right Nora."

* * *

Madara practiced by himself in the field practicing both hand-to-hand combat and the use of his gunbai.

He didn't need to train with dust as that would be considered a waste of dust but he could also find new ways to implement dust into his fighting style or techniques. The use of dust while training was divided in his mind, find new ways to implement it and new ways to use it while also losing said dust in the process, like a double-edge sword.

After his training session to get rid of anymore of the tiredness in his body that might be lurking within his body, he strapped the gunbai back onto his back and walked back to his temporary travelling companions.

"You two ready?" he asked. "If so, then lets move."

Ren and Nora shared a look before they got their stuff and followed Madara.

"Soooo Mad Madara…" Nora started. "Got any hobbies?"

"I do." He revealed. "I enjoy falconry."

"Falconry…?" Ren asked. "Does that mean you have a falcon?"

"I actually have a hawk." Madara had a small smile. "Despite the name, not only falcons can be trained by also hawks as well. I do want to try it with an owl one day."

"So you have a pet? What's his or her name?" Nora asked.

"His name is Garuda." Madara said with a look of pride that didn't go unnoticed.

The trio continued walked on their way to the safest town that was protected so bandits wouldn't attack.

"Are we there yet?" asked Nora.

"No." Madara replied just as fast.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Hey, hey! Maaaadaraaaa!"

"What?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Yes."

"…Really?"

"No."

Madara sighed as he kept up with the energetic girl. He had to give props to Ren for keeping up with her at times.

"We should be there sometime soon." Madara said to get Nora to at least stop for a while.

They soon came across a dirt path or what would call the main road. "Hey Madara…" and there was Nora again. "Have any favourite food? Which combat school do you go to? Which school are you going to after you turn seventeen and graduate the other school?"

Madara sent her a look. "If I recall, neither of you gave me your hobbies." He said. "But I guess I'll let you know anyway. My favourite food is Inarizushi, I don't really have a school that I go to due to constant movement, and I don't really plan on going to a combat school like Beacon."

"Oh, that's a shame." She said. "Ren and I are going to go to Beacon…anyway my favourite food is pancakes!"

Madara narrowed his eyes down the path ahead. There was a person walking down the path.

While it wasn't uncommon for people to use roads or go alone, he was still a little weary due to this road being a lesser known road.

But maybe it was just his 'bandit' instincts acting and raising his guard.

The trio continued walking as they passed the man who continued walking like he was on his own personally mission.

Something inside Madara told him to record the man into his memory, just in case. His semblance activated for just a second and that was all it took. There was something about this man…

He was a large, muscular man with short brown hair, a beard and hazel eyes. He wore two-tone olive green coat and a large belt, black pants and brown boots with white fronts. He had hairy arms and what seemed to have scars near the edges of his sleeves.

As they walked passed each other, they briefly looked each other in the eye before continuing on their way.

His Sharingan recorded everything, Grimm, people, anything. He could never forget a face because of this and it included his sister when she was only a newborn.

He kept the faces of both people he met like Ren and Nora and the people he killed so he wouldn't forget how the world truly was. It was also helpful so he couldn't forget them just in case like with that man.

You never knew who had it out for you and if something ever happened, you'd know who that person was.

He sighed as he continued on his way with his own little temporary tribe.

"We should be there in a couple of minutes, maybe an hour max." he said as he turned his head to them.

"Well when we get there, maybe you should rent a room?" asked Lie.

"That won't be necessary." Madara replied. "I need to get back to my 'family' soon."

"Even if you're not tired right now, you need sleep and you're probably weaker because of it."

Madara had to admit that Ren was a little bit right. However as long as his controlled Grimm was still kicking and hasn't been killed, he should be golden. "You may be right, but I'll be fine. I got a trick up my sleeve."

"Is it chains? Flowers...? Pancakes dare we dream?!" asked the Valkyrie.

"No…nothing like that…" he replied slowly.

Madara, Ren and Nora followed the road for some time before Nora shouted. "There it is!"

There in the distance was the city that even the tribe wouldn't attack, at least not yet. Madara extended his hand to pull back the orange haired girl. "Easy." He told her.

"Reckon you can make it there or do you wish me to accompany you further?"

"Why don't you come with us?" Ren asked.

"I can go to the city's entrance but no further."

"I meant travel with us for a while."

"…I cannot do that." Madara shook his head. "There are still things I need to do before I can ever consider that."

After getting closer to the city, it was time to say goodbye. Ren raised his hand for a handshake which Madara picked up on and shook his hand before shaking Nora's hand.

"I hope we'll see you again." Ren said with a smile.

"Yeah, and then team NRM, Nevermore, will be back together!"

"…Right…" he said. "We will meet again."

"We will take your word on that." Ren said with a smirk.

"Sure." Madara turned and started to walk away as he gave a small wave of goodbye before continuing on.

After getting a safe distance away from the city, he called upon the Nevermore. When he got back to the tribe, he was going to sleep.

He rested against a tree as he took off his gunbai while he waited for the Nevermore. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before he heard a noise from above.

The large bird was overhead, looking down at him curiously. Odd, he thought he closed his eyes for a few seconds as the sun was now slightly higher in the sky.

Seems a few seconds had turned into minutes, which might have been a good thing.

He climbed on the back of the Nevermore he directed it towards the clan. It flapped its wing before it flew off in the direction the tribe once was.

He looked down at the ground as he begun to search for the tribe. It took a while to find the tribe, they didn't move in the day seeing as they were using the town they captured and were planning on using it for a while.

"Thanks…" he said to the Grimm who got close enough for him to jump off and land in the town they took.

He so happened to land in front of Plover who gave a small shriek before calming herself down.

"Ma-Madara!" was what Madara heard as he turned to her. "Where were you?"

"…Out." He said as he walked to find a place to sleep. "Goodnight."

Madara found his gear which was held by the loyal Caracara. It was nice seeing how loyal she was to both his mother and himself.

"Thank you, Caracara." He said as he lied down and closed his eyes on one of the beds of the houses that they raided.

With one last glance he saw Caracara watching faithfully over him, like the protector and guardian she was when he was younger. Sometimes it was hard to tell that she was an assassin, but her facial expressions usually gave it away due to stoic appearance.

But sometimes, he saw slight emotions on her face when he was younger and today was no different as he witnessed the small smile that graced her lips before he fell asleep.

* * *

Madara cracked open a single eye as he glanced around the room he fell asleep in. His gear against the wall and Caracara no longer in the room…

Thinking about it…she kind of watched him fall asleep…he hoped she didn't watch him longer than that.

Now that he thought about it and it was probably his pheromones, his drowsiness or puberty talking seeing as he was a healthy teen but the women of the tribe were pretty attractive.

Passerine, Plover, Auk, Cuckoo and Parrot were all attractive but to Madara, none could really compare to Caracara.

"…What am I thinking?" he tiredly yawned. "Stupid…puberty…" and with that, he had fallen asleep once more.

* * *

Madara felt a finger poke him in his cheek as he look up at the person who thought to poke him.

"Auk." He said as he refused to move his head from the pillow.

"Welcome back." She said. "There's someone here for you."

Madara sat up from the bed as he looked at her. "And who is this?"

Auk smiled before she opened a window and threw him a falconer's glove or falconry glove.

He put the glove on as a hawk flew in and landed on his glove. The hawk was brown in colour while having darker areas along his back and wings along with his tail. He also had dark markings around his eyes as well as red ones along the sides of his beak.

"Hey there, Garuda." He smiled slightly. "Miss me?"

The hawk gave an affectionate screech as he rubbed the hawk's beak. He glanced back to Auk who was standing near the door way.

"You coming?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Cuckoo is serving Inarizushi tonight…" was all she said as Madara got the gist.

Cuckoo was cooking tonight, that had meant he slept all day. After getting up as Garuda flew off his glove, he made his way with Auk to get some dinner.

"Madara, over here." His mother called her child who after getting his serving headed towards his mother and sat opposite of her.

Madara offered a small nod of acknowledgement as he ate.

"I see that your 'escort' went well." She said. "To a point you pulled an all nighter judging from the bags under your eyes when you came back to camp."

"It's dangerous during the night." Madara said as he continued his meal while Raven had continued her own meal.

"It is." She said as Madara noticed a small bowl on the table as he noticed Caracara had just sat down.

"I do wonder, why you let them live or didn't bring them into the camp to strengthen our numbers."

"I thought I told you this…"

"You did, I just wanted to see if your reason had changed after you finished your little escort mission."

"My opinion hasn't changed." He said. "Plus it's vital to me that they are alive."

"Oh? And why is that?"

Madara looked her in the eyes. "It's important to keep people alive for information." He said. "I can easily use my Sharingan to extract information but while they are out there, they would also get information too which I can use to get and with my actions, I build trust to make information gathering easier."

Raven had a proud smile. "Very good, I'm proud."

" _Tch, I just don't want them to enter this dark place…_ " he thought. " _But I can't help but admit it's also true…_ "

"However…something did happen." Madara said getting both Raven's and Caracara's attention. "When I was with them, I saw a Grimm I never seen before."

"What did it look like?" his mother asked.

"…Like a floating jellyfish…I don't know why, but unlike the other Grimm it never attacked." He said. "It was like…it was watching me."

Raven placed her hand on her chin in thought. "I need to look into this." She said rather to herself rather than the other two at the table.

"Was there anything else?" Caracara asked as Madara shook his head.

"Nothing." He lied. There was that thing with his eyes when he tried to control another Grimm, but he didn't want to bring it up…or that guy that gave Madara a weird feeling.

He looked over to the rest of the tribe who were eating without a care in the world. His mind briefly went over to who would be cooking next out of who could actually cook for a damn.

It was probably Turaco.

Madara turned back to his mother and Caracara as Caracara fed Garuda. Thinking about Garuda, he wondered if his sister had a pet.

Honestly, he was glad he was in the darkness of the real world while his sister was in the light.

Shaking his thoughts from that, he continued to eat as Raven was thinking about this 'new' Grimm. The look on her face was that of two conflicting emotions.

She was confused and trying to think of the Grimm and its connection due to its behaviour unlike normal Grimm and…worry?

He couldn't tell the second emotion easily so he could have been something else seeing as she kept a calm face, but as her son, he could see through her to some degree.

Madara felt a tap on his shoulder as he saw Caracara holding a bowl of roe…his least favourite food.

She must know of this, it wasn't a secret but she must be offering it to him simply for amusement. How did he know she was going to offer it? It happened before.

Caracara offered Madara a small bowl that she had as Madara's expression changed a little. "No thanks." He said as Raven raised her eyebrow.

"Madara, you shouldn't be picky." She lectured like a mother despite her tone.

"I'm not picky, I can eat roe but I'm not going to jump at the first chance…"

Madara then took the bowl of roe and handed it to Raven. "Here." He offered. "Wouldn't you like some?"

Raven had a forced strained smile as she pushed back the bowl of roe. "Thank you for your offer, but I have my own food…"

"I thought you said not to be picky?"

Caracara silently chuckled. Like mother, like son.

They both hated roe.


	7. Birds of Prey

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or YBWR**_

Chapter 7: Birds of Prey

Madara stood as he and the others waited for Raven. All of them were in a room around a table as they waited for the tribe leader.

When Raven walked in, she dropped a small stack of papers on the table.

"..." the group just looked at the stack. They weren't ordinary papers but wanted papers.

"Bounty papers?" asked Heron as he picked up one of the papers.

The leader just nodded. "Due to security checks in Atlas we can't really go in there without a reason." She said. "Even thought the security checks had lightened up over the past since the incident nine years ago, but some people still cling to the past no matter how much their grip has loosened."

Turaco rubbed his beak as he groaned. "Yeah, I heard that the faunus in Atlas have gotten it bad over there too."

"I heard the White Fang have been getting more violent because of it." Crane added.

"I heard of that, apparently there had been some skirmishes between the White Fang and the Atlesian military." Swallow said with a sigh. "I heard there building a massive mechanized battlesuit as well, I believe it was a Paladin."

"I see you're still informed." Plover said with a questioning gaze.

"Sometimes it's good to have friends in certain places." Swallow smirked.

"…Humans and faunus fighting each other, Salem creating Grimm and taking advantage of this while they continue their pointless battle." Madara whispered. "Disgusting…"

Garuda looked at Madara as he was the only one who heard him whisper.

"Now, some of these bounties have been sent from Atlas." Raven informed the group. "That will allow some of us to enter Atlas but a group like ours would raise some unwanted attention if we all go, and I don't know how your Atlas friends would be able to keep you in Atlas without the military coming after you Swallow and that faunus will have a tough time there, so Crane, Cuckoo and Turaco should stay behind."

Raven took the papers and sorted them into two categories: Bounties sent from Atlas and bounties not sent from Atlas.

"This is also a good opportunity to use this to come off as a mercenary group rather than what we really are, bandits." Raven said.

Madara looked at the two piles. There were only a few, maybe three or so from Atlas.

"We will team up into teams of three rather than our usual groups and pairs." Raven said.

"Crane, Heron and Swallow, you three will be in a group and will be taking one of the jobs that weren't sent from Atlas."

"Cuckoo, Turaco and Swan, you three will also be taking one of the jobs that aren't from Atlas."

"Passerine, Grouse and Potoo, you can take one from either pile."

"Madara, Parrot and Auk, you three can also choose one from either pile."

"Caracara, Plover and I will also be taking one of the jobs outside of the ones Atlas sent." Raven said as they took the jobs.

"Remember to gear up, we will be moving all our stuff too." Raven said as she, Caracara and Plover left.

Madara turned to Parrot and Auk. "I guess we should be leaving too." He said as they left.

They all travelled pretty light as Garuda had perched himself on Madara's shoulder which had a shoulder pad for him to rest on.

Madara looked down at one of the jobs they took, both from the ones sent from Atlas. The first was a…faunus male…

"Great." He groaned. While they were building a false front to keep up the appearance they weren't bandits, hunting faunus would just get the White Fang's attention which he didn't want to bother with right now.

With the way the White Fang seemed to be going right now, if it was an innocent faunus then the White Fang would go crazy and right now, they were slowly becoming into the thing that anti-faunus humans had called them.

Animals and beasts, violence would only make this matter worse.

The faunus members of the tribe would be going to areas were faunus had a more positive interaction such as small towns and communities.

The second target was a human male this time, and it seemed like a rich looking guy at that.

They were team four or if going by team names made up from letters of the groups names, then they were team MAP…

Team four sounded better.

Team three of Passerine, Grouse and Potoo took the last job from the Atlas pile and another one from outside of the pile.

His mother's group was also taking the bounties that were the same as team one and two's area.

Each group had at least two jobs each.

Madara read the two bounties, taking in the information. "The faunus was last seen escaping Atlas a few days ago while the human was last seen spending his wealth while he was in debt." He read. "Both wanted either dead or alive. No preference."

"Well…I can take…of that." Parrot said referring to her gases and poisons.

Madara had learnt a lot under her as she taught him lethal and non lethal poisons such as using poison to paralysis a person rather than kill.

She wasn't much of a talker, but when it came to her area of expertise, she could talk for ages if she wanted to.

With the information they were provided, the human would be running into settlements where he could spend his lien and the faunus would be trying to find a place where faunus were accepted…or join the White Fang.

If he had joined the White Fang…then they would have to fight the whole White Fang in order to get the target.

His eyes glanced to Parrot as the thought entered his head. With Parrot, that would be much easier.

Taking people out both lethally and non-lethally was her speciality thanks to both her gases, poisons and semblance.

Madara turned his head back to the road as the group of four continued on their way to hunt down the two wanted men.

* * *

It was just another day for the faunus. Another day of running for his life as his bushy tail curled as he ran past and over fallen trees.

He was a squirrel faunus, his tail gave it away.

He sent a look back before he continued running while wondering if he should hide rather than one.

He should've known that he would be labelled as a wanted man after escaping Atlas. He didn't want to die but he didn't want to go back either.

He just didn't go and work in those mines again.

He didn't want to be unfairly treated especially when the treatment of faunus in Atlas got worse.

Unknown to him, over head was a hawk keeping an eye on him. Because of this hawk, he was being followed without a problem.

In the trees pursuing the faunus male was a younger human male followed by two other humans.

The man continued running, fear crawling up his back.

The hunters were getting closer. He wished he had a speed-based semblance.

The figure now over the head of the faunus smirked as he threw what seemed like a needle or rather a metal needle, a senbon.

The senbon entered the leg of the faunus who shouted in pain before he limped away with the senbon and pulling it out.

" _W-What?_ " the faunus thought as his leg started to act up. " _My leg! It's growing weaker._ "

"You shouldn't run with that leg." The figure jumped down. "That senbon was coated in a paralytic poison, it would be impossible for you to move."

"Why are you hunting me?"

Madara raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious? You're a wanted man."

"I did nothing wrong!" the man shouted as Parrot and Auk walked over with Parrot picking up the senbon.

While she used gases and poisons, her senbon was perfect for taking down targets in the vital areas or coating them with poison to take her targets down.

"Is…is it because I'm a faunus?"

"No…my faunus companions are also hunting both humans and faunus right now." Madara revealed. "Gas him."

"No wai-" the man didn't finish as he was introduced to his new best friend, sleep gas.

Garuda flew down and landed on his shoulder. "One target down, one to go." He said as Garuda flew from his shoulder to Parrot's shoulder as Madara tied up the faunus and lifted him over his shoulder.

"Let's go get the other one."

With that, they were back on the move.

* * *

Parrot, Madara and Auk had tracked down the second target, a noble man inside a fancy hotel that was also a restaurant, a casino and for the richer people along with the secret few that knew about it, a brothel.

The Devil's Temptation, it certainly lived up to its name. Food to make you keep coming back, gambling to make you spend your wealth, the softest and high quality beds that make you want to never leave and finally men and women to fulfil your carnal desires.

It had four of the seven sins in one hotel, gluttony, greed, sloth and lust.

Madara and Parrot walked into the hotel as they approached the receptionist. "Welcome, how may I help you?" the receptionist asked with a kind smile.

"We are looking…for this man." Madara said as he showed the receptionist the picture of the man.

The receptionist frowned at first before smiling again. "I'm sorry sir we don't let criminals into our prestigious hotel."

"Okay, that was bullshit and you know it." Madara scoffed. "There are plenty of criminals that attend this hotel for many reasons as long as they have the money."

A bead of sweat rolled down the receptionist's neck. "May I interest you in our casino? Or maybe our finest wome-" she was interrupted as she was hit with Madara's Sharingan.

"Where is he?" he asked again as she directed them to the top floor and the building he was in. Soon she fell behind the desk unconscious.

"You heard her, let's go." Madara said as he took the bounty as they went to the room where their target was supposed to be hiding and spending his money.

Taking out one of Parrot's senbons, he put it under the door and using the reflection of the small senbon, could make out the man's face.

It was the target. "He is in the room." He said as Parrot nodded as she pulled out some sleeping gas.

Their target wasn't alone in the room. It seemed he was experiencing the sins the hotel provided. Right now it was lust.

He was sitting in the chair fully clothed as a scantily clad woman was putting on a show, slowly losing more clothing and if they didn't act now, they would have to deal with the two mid-intercourse…it was something he didn't want to deal with.

Madara was handed a gas mask while handing back the senbon after it fulfilled its use, Parrot released the sleeping gas from its container.

And that's where the magic happened.

Madara stood ready but the door as the gas travelled up to the vents above and into the room where their target was.

This was Parrot's semblance. Gas manipulation, she could control any type of gas, sleeping gas, flammable gas, pure poisonous gas, you name it.

She could control it as she was now to go through a vent in a line rather than going everywhere once released. It was perfect when others tried to use gas against them. They would have gotten the gas pushed back.

Madara heard a body drop as he walked into the room where the gas resided and was being kept. He walked over some clothing and a bra as he picked the target up and tied him up just like the last target and with a gag.

His work here was done.

He glanced to the topless woman on the floor before putting the man over his shoulder and walking out the door.

Wasn't his problem to deal with, he was only there for the target.

Walking out of the room and closing the door was the easiest part, the hardest part was getting out without being spotted…or they could just put them all to sleep, that was a viable option.

As he walked to the stairs he heard a door open behind him as he quickly threw the man and the gas mask he was wearing around the corner where Parrot was waiting for him.

"Aren't you a little bit too young to be here?" a female voice asked as he turned around to see a woman with long black untamed hair that reached the middle of her back and wore a short revealing dark blue kimono that showed off a lot of her cleavage and a lot of her body, as he trying to tempt him to have a good time.

"Age is just a number." He replied. "Especially for a huntsman, if you're old enough to kill as a huntsman, old enough to drink and enjoy the other luxuries of life."

It was hard to tell if she was wearing anything underneath. The kimono did nothing to hide her thighs and if it was any shorter…well it would answer one question to what she had underneath.

It seemed like she had no bra underneath the kimono which a simple pull could show off her torso and unleash her sizeable cleavage.

The receptionist didn't lie…

The kimono had short sleeves that only went to the elbows as she walked with a sway of her hips, which would have been more impacting if she headed in the other direction instead of his.

Her dark blue eyes that matched her kimono glistened as a single finger ran down his clothed chest.

"That's a nice motto to live by." She smiled seductively. "You're quite matured despite your age."

"I hear that a lot."

"I bet you do." He could hear the seductive tone as her finger went much lower before it came back up to his chin. "I never do this, but…"

She leaned in closer to his face and spoke with a whisper. "I let you experience heaven in hell for free, master." She whispered breathily as she dragged out the word master.

" _They get the best of the best succubus here huh?_ " Madara thought as he gently removed her hand away from him. "I appreciate the offer, but I am quite busy."

"Aw, that's a shame." She said with a saddened expression. "You know, most your age would be killing for the chance."

"It's as you said, I am mature for my age." He told her. "So I will have to decline your offer, no matter how tempting you make it."

She regained her seductive smile. "Oh?" her eyes trailed up and down. "You're not bad for you age."

"Hn, you can tell just by looking?"

"Of course." she didn't need to continue for him to get the hint.

"Now, I must be off before I'm late."

He watched as she opened the door that he took the target from. "You came from this room?"

His eyes widened as when she opened the door, she saw the topless girl on the bed. "No wonder you declined my offer, you already had a good time."

"I didn't." he revealed as she looked at him. "She only got far as to put on a show when I needed to get somewhere when someone I knew set it up without my knowing. Because I needed to leave quickly, I needed to tire her out and you can see what happened."

"No sex? You must have golden hands on you." She said as she looked back to him. "And a silver tongue."

Madara shrugged. "Possibly, but who would know?"

"Azura Komagata."

"…Pardon?"

"My name." she purred waiting for his.

"Madara." He said as he went to walk away and she seemed to follow him a little. He stopped as he turned to her. "What are you doing?"

"You said you needed to leave right?" she asked as she leaned in again. "I thought I would send you off." She whispered once more.

"I'm good."

"It's not everyday when I meet someone like you." She crossed her arms under her breasts which caused more attention to them.

He didn't have any more time to waste. He needed to leave. "Who knows, I might be back."

"Oh? When do you reckon?"

He shrugged. "Tomorrow? Five years later? It's better when it's unexpected." He sent her a smirk. " _Now it's time to get out of here._ "

Remembering sometime Plover told him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a short kiss. "That should be enough to convince you." Was all he said leaving her there briefly stunned by the sudden act.

Madara walked down the stairs as he picked up the target as he and Parrot got out of there.

Azura stood there before she looked back at her colleague on the bed. "Lucky bitch." She said but despite what she said she smiled.

* * *

Madara sighed as he carried the second target. While Plover was right, he also had to create an illusion to make sure Azura didn't see the other girl on the floor knocked out.

And the only way he could cast illusions was by eye contact through his semblance….that remembered everything.

He rolled his eyes at the thought, he would probably never see her again but who really knew, but he was fine the image stuck in his mind, he would be remembering a lot of stuff that could make it pale in comparison. The illusion would wear off shortly as he and Parrot met up with Auk, Garuda and the other knocked out target.

He picked up the other target as the group left.

"Now we need to get to the meeting point." Auk said as she led the group as Madara carried both targets.

Madara released a small groan as he walked behind the two.

* * *

Madara dropped the two onto the ground as they waited for the rest of the tribe. It didn't take to long for some to get to the rendezvous point.

"You guys are finally here." Madara said as he rubbed Garuda's beak.

"You just got here before us, and your targets were probably closer." Grouse said.

"Which one is the one that was wanted by Atlas?" Auk asked as Passerine dropped another male human that was tied up next to the ones caught by Madara, Parrot and Auk.

After a long wait, the others had arrived dropping both alive and dead targets. "I see you were successful in your missions." Crane said.

"We were." Turaco smirked.

"Now all we have to do is cash these fools in." Swallow grinned.

"There are different bounty stations in Remnant. This is why I chose this location for the rendezvous." Raven said. "From here, our groups can easily reach four of the different bounty stations and one group can go to Atlas and deliver those targets."

"… _Atlas…_ " Madara looked up. "I'll go." He said.

"I want to take Auk with me and Grouse to help carry the targets."

"Sure, we will go cash in these guys." Passerine said as Parrot and Grouse swapped sides as Garuda went with Parrot on Madara's orders.

"We will meet at this same spot after cashing in the bounties. Also your group will remain in Atlas for the time being." Raven told Madara's group that changed from MAP to MAG.

"Keep your scrolls on you, you won't remain in Atlas for long but there are a few things we need to keep an eye on."

After that, the tribe disbanded with their targets as they went to bounty stations and in Madara's case, Atlas.

Madara glanced to Grouse. He hadn't changed much over the years.

He was sort of an oddity, while he was a member of the tribe and worked well with them he was more of a lone wolf.

It was time to go and get access into Atlas, despite the lower security checks.

Madara wondered how much Atlas had changed nine years ago. Well he was going to find out when he got there.


	8. Atlas

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or CFVY**_

Chapter 8: Atlas

Sitting on the bright green grass was a small black-headed tricolour corgi, a Pembroke welsh corgi to be exact. It had grey eyes, a bobbed tail and wore a red collar with a pendant that had a two dots and a bone in between.

It watched happily as a blonde haired girl was throwing punch after punch at a punching bag that hanged from a tree.

She wore a short sleeved orange shirt and black shorts that went to her knees. She stopped punching the bag as the corgi brought over a water bottle. "Thanks Zwei, good boy." The teenage girl of fifteen said as the dog yipped.

Her eyes focused back on the punching bag. She needed to get stronger, stronger to find them.

Her mother…and her older twin brother….

She had no idea what her brother would look like now, but if she found her mother she will find her brother.

"Time to get back to work." She muttered before she went back to hitting the bag, but before she could a voice rang out.

"YAAAANG…!"

The now named Yang sighed. "I'm coming, Ruby!" she yelled back. "Come on Zwei."

The dog yipped as he followed the blonde haired girl.

* * *

Madara, Auk and Grouse made their way closer to Atlas. "Why did you choose us to go with you?" Grouse asked.

"Simple. Whoever the person who sent these bounties out must be either rich or in a noble family judging by the lien that was offered." The Branwen said. "Some people see the colour purple as either death or royalty. Hopefully due to the reward money they would see it as royalty."

"Not to mention that Auk's usual attire of a business suit would also show that we are not your run of the mill mercenaries and bounty hunters." Madara then turned to Grouse. "You however should close your coat to give off the business man vibe when we get there."

"What's wrong with my coat being open?"

"…Rich people, remember?"

"Oh yeah…but what about your clothing then?" he asked Madara. "Aside from the colour you mentioned before."

"Well, I have to hope they see purple as the colour of royalty." Madara sighed. "Did Swallow mention his contacts within Atlas?"

Auk nodded as she pulled out her scroll. "Yes, Swallow had mentioned that the three of us would be entering Atlas as bounty hunters and mercenaries." She said. "They are willing to offer us a place to stay until we are finished within Atlas."

"Good." Madara shifted one of the targets he was carrying over his shoulder. "There it is, the Atlesian Outpost and Docks, one of our tickets in."

The trio walked in as one of the Atlas soldiers noticed them who had green highlights opposed to Swallow's red highlights.

"Halt." He said as one with blue highlights walked up.

Before he could continue Madara dropped the body as Auk held up the three posters. "We came to deliver these." The only female in the trio said.

The blue guard looked at the green one. "Sure, come on in." he said as Madara picked up the body as they begun to board the Atlas dropship.

"It's more lax then I thought." Madara muttered.

"Oh, you noticed?" the blue guard asked getting a nod from the youngest person there. "Well you see, while we still have security checkpoints we have dimmed them down a lot over the years."

The blue guard sighed as the dropship took off. "That's what you get when a rich family throws their money around. Ironwood wasn't happy that they wanted to waste our troops for years."

" _Ironwood?_ " the Sharingan user thought. He put that to the back of his mind for later, he could get information from Swallow's acquaintance. "I assume you humoured him for a few years?"

"Yeah…and I shouldn't really be saying this but, we kinda need them to produce something important."

" _Must be that Paladin Swallow was talking about…_ "

"We should be reaching Atlas in a little while." The green soldier who was piloting said.

Madara looked towards the members of his tribe before looking back forward.

* * *

The dropship landed as Madara, Auk and Grouse walked out carrying the three targets.

"Now, about those bounties." The blue guard said. "You will have to follow me. The requester wants to meet the people or person who brought these men to 'justice' in the privacy of their own home."

Madara shot a quick glance to Grouse who quickly closed his coat and with it closed, gave off the impression of a business man.

They carried the targets till they reached a large building. "Here it is." The blue guard stated.

The building was that of a large manor.

" _So the 'client' really is a rich person…_ " Madara and co walked to the large doors of the mansion.

Madara raised his fist as he knocked on the large wooden door. The group waited while the guard had to leave before someone of higher rank noticed he wasn't there.

"So Grouse, how did you take your target out?"

"Passerine used some sleeping darts with her rifle." Grouse admitted.

Soon the door creaked open. The person who opened the door was a slightly overweight man with balding brown hair with a large moustache. On a closer look he had light brown eyes…he thought they were blue?

He wore a long sleeved white dress shirt with a blue tie under a black vest which had a silver pocket watch in one of the vest pockets. He also wore long black dress pants with matching shoes.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes." Madara said as he bowed. "We are here on business actually. We seem…to have caught some wanted men."

"I see." He said. "Please come in."

The trio with their targets followed the man into the manor. Just like the outside, the interior of the manor was white, blue with a little grey.

"I shall go inform Mr. Schnee of your arrival." The butler said as he walked away as the trio sat on a fancy and probably expensive couch with shared the same colour scheme as the interior.

"So the bounty mission requester is the head of the Schnee Dust Company…" Madara muttered. "Now, with our outfits we should pass as high class people. Let me do the talking but seeing as I am the youngest out of the three of us, Auk you will take over when required but I am the successor and you're testing me or letting me get used to future meetings and talks, something along those lines."

"I understood." Auk nodded.

"What about me?" Grouse asked.

"Honestly? Just keep your appearance like a business man." Madara said bluntly. "If you need to talk, you're our right hand man."

Madara looked around the large room. "However if anything happens and you are unsure of what to say, make sure I can make eye contact. I will make illusions of myself to help."

Later the butler came back holding a tray. "Thank you for waiting. Mr. Schnee will be here shortly, here's some tea."

"Thank you…"

"Klein." The butler said.

"Thank you, Klein." Madara finished as he accepted the cup.

Klein took the empty tray as the other two took their cups and left once more.

"The head is a Schnee? Odd, I thought that the founder only had a daughter?" Madara asked confused.

Auk sighed. "No, the man who married Nicholas Schnee's daughter had inherited the last name too." She said. "I believe his surname was Gele…"

They heard footsteps coming from down the hallway before a man with grey-white hair, a similar coloured moustache, a pale complexion with cold blue eyes. He wore a pure white double-breasted jacket with a red handkerchief in the breast pocket.

Underneath he wore a blue shirt and vest with a grey-white tie and what seemed to be a silver ring on his right hand.

"Good afternoon." He said as he walked to a chair opposite of the three and sat down in it. His eyes stared into all three of them as if trying to size them up. "My name is Jacques Schnee, head of the Schnee Dust Company."

He's eyes seemed to glint as Madara sent the same look back at him. It seemed he was impressed. "Anyway, let's get down to business." He said. He was honestly surprised to see three well dressed people in front of him.

…As long as Grouse doesn't open his coat that is.

" _So it seems he sees purple as a royalty colour._ " Madara thought with a mental smirk.

"So…you three collected these three men?" he asked.

"I'm sorry sir, but that is information we cannot disclose." Madara bowed his head respectfully.

"Understandable, but is there anything you can reveal?"

" _Curiosity killed the cat you know._ " Madara thought. "Huntsmen and Huntress need employment. Even if some of their methods are barbaric, they can get even the cleanest jobs done."

Madara gestured to the two captured humans and a single faunus. "As you can see, none of the three targets were harmed in anyway and captured without struggle." He said.

"I can see that." Jacques said. "I assume you choose only the best."

"Only the best of the best. The highest quality produced from any of the four academies." Madara said. "I apologize if I am talking too much despite my age. It's just that I am taking over this branch of the business when I come of age."

Madara kept a calm face as he smirked on the inside. It seemed the current head of the Schnee Dust Company liked that.

Madara took a sip of the tea as he held it in his hand. "You may be wondering why we kept them alive."

"Indeed I am."

"Not only do we do 'clean' jobs such as this, but we take them alive just in case our 'clients' want to punish these criminals themselves." As Madara said this, he could have sworn he saw the man grin at that.

"An interesting business you have there." He said. "You take the best huntsman and huntress into your 'fold' and turn them into elites. May I ask what the business or branch is called?"

"Well, our huntsman and huntress don't only do this sort of work, but when I come of age, I will be renaming this particular branch of huntsman and huntresses." Madara said. "However we kept quiet in case of some…uncouth simpletons think they should try and do the same sort of business. Once we build up our reputation more, we shall remain silent."

"But, my branch which will soon take over the main business…the name's Akatsuki." Madara said as Auk and Grouse kept a calm façade. "At least right now until a better name comes along."

"I understand what you mean." Jacques said. "When we opened up a small side business of the company, some people thought it was clever to do the same."

"I assume the two of you are to check on well he does?" he asked the two on the sides.

"Yes." Auk said nodding. "We are here to make sure he can handle situations like these meetings without freezing up, but it seems we do not need to worry."

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." Madara said suddenly. "I apologize, my name is Madara."

"Now, I must thank the three of you for capturing these three criminals." Jacques said. "You shall be properly rewarded."

Jacques walked over to the three that were on the ground and seemed to gain consciousness at that time.

The head of the company said nothing as he stared at the three of them individually. "You thought you could try and-" Madara tuned out the head as he shouted at the faunus and the two men as he focused on the tea. It was better for him not to get involved right now, even if that meant sentencing an innocent faunus to his demise.

The Schnee Dust Company owned the dust mines, and that meant the security checkpoints were made because of Jacques nine years ago. The faunus were seemingly the only workers that worked in said mines and after some incident those nine years ago, the faunus were treated worse in those mines which caused the squirrel faunus to run away.

Madara was suddenly brought out of his thoughts as he heard Jacques shout. "-YOU FILTHY ANIMAL!" he shouted as the squirrel faunus fell to the ground in pain from either a hard slap or punch to the face.

Madara tried not to frown or get angry at the man and luckily he kept a very calm façade as did the other two.

It was because of actions like these, the world was a horrible place.

However the three bandits all shared the same thought. If it was Turaco, Crane or Cuckoo, then Jacques would be dead where he stood.

Jacques coughed as he turned back to the trio. "I am terribly sorry for you for to see that. I shall get the three removed."

"It's no problem." Madara said calmly. "Sometimes you need to discipline them…"

"May I ask how old you are?"

"I am current fifteen." Madara said. "I've been groomed since a very young age for this sort of thing."

Madara could hear the man mumbled about doing the same thing. "Fifteen? I have a daughter around your age." He said out of the blue. "I'll shall get her to escort you when you leave. I'm sorry but it seems I need to deal with these three first."

"No worries."

"Are you perhaps staying in Atlas for the time being?"

"Indeed we are." Madara said as he and his companions finished their tea and set the cups down.

"I shall go inform Klein about your payment for these three." Jacques said. "It's been a pleasure."

"Likewise…" Madara, Auk and Grouse said with a tone of respect.

Jacques had then called for someone on his phone, two people it seemed. After some time, they saw who had answered the call first.

"Madara, this is my daughter Weiss." He said. "Weiss this is Madara and his business companions."

She had long white hair that was pulled back in an off-centre ponytail, at the base of which is a small tiara that seemingly resembled icicles. She also had ice blue eyes and a pale complexion.

She wore a pale blue bolero jacket over a similarly coloured thigh-length dress with a piece of black lace making up the neckline of the dress. It seemed like the inside of her bolero was red but blue at the sleeves near her wrists. She was also wearing an apple-shaped necklace along with a pair of thin, rectangular earrings as well as white, heeled wedge boots that go to her mid-calf and the insides were probably the same as her bolero.

Madara stood up as both him and Jacques daughter both bowed at each other. "Pleasure to meet you." He said in a strictly business tone as she just nodded.

"Klein will meet you at the gates when you're done." Jacques said. "Weiss, please escort these three."

Weiss nodded once more as soon Madara and co followed the white haired girl, but as they were walking, they passed some large paintings.

Madara's eyes widened at one of them that he almost stopped. The painting was that of a white haired woman that resembled Weiss.

She had short white hair and blue eyes…and was very familiar with the young Branwen.

"Who…is that?" he asked as the girl gained a melancholy expression.

"That…was my mother." She said.

" _Was? Oh no…_ " he thought.

"She…was murdered nine years ago…"

Madara's eyes remained widened for a little bit before he regained his composure. "…I'm sorry." He said. "Sorry for your lose."

"It's… okay."

Weiss then tried to change the atmosphere as they slowly continued with Auk and Grouse following behind them.

"Are…you a huntsman?" she asked causing him to look at her.

"More or less." He said. "It depends really. Why?"

She didn't say right away but she could tell that he had the eyes of a warrior despite being the same age as her. "Well-"

"Is it because you're the next in line here?" he asked. "Well I'm next in line with my 'business' but I'm still a fighter too."

She didn't even start and he had answered her question. "How-"

"I'm good at reading people." He replied as they continued. "Since it seems your planning on becoming a huntress, do you have your own weapon?"

"I do."

"What about your semblance?"

"I am quite proficient with my semblance." She said with an air of confidence.

"…I see. I'm guessing your semblance is pretty strong or useful?"

All she did was nod before giving him any sort of answer. "You see, my semblance is a hereditary one."

"Ah."

"It's Glyphs…wai-"

"I see, I see." Madara quickly said. "Which school are you planning on going to?"

"Well I was thinking of Beacon, but-"

"Your father would rather you go to the academy here?" he guessed. When she nodded he saw a slight depressed look on her face before he did a small unnoticeable sigh.

He stopped in front of her causing her to just look at him with confusion before he turned around. That's when he said something that settled on her choice of her next school.

"A parent doesn't completely control their child." He told her. "And as they grow, they lose more and more control of them until they are completely independent. It's up to you wether you choose to be free now, or later when it's too late."

She watched as Madara continued to walk before she caught up.

It didn't take long for them to reach the entrance and waiting for them was Klein. "Ah, Ms. Schnee, I see you are escorting our guests." He said before he handed Madara and co the lien promised for the job.

"Thank you." Auk said for the group.

"We might meet again." Madara said as the three left the manor grounds.

Madara released a sigh as he walked. "Thank god that's over." He said as they were now headed towards Swallow's friend.

"I'm impressed." Auk smiled at the youngest tribe member. "That was some very good acting."

"It wasn't all acting." Madara said. "I am next in line to inherit the tribe at this rate."

"True."

"So…" Grouse dragged on. "Why you give that white haired girl advice?" he asked.

Madara shrugged. "I just felt like it…or maybe because I don't like that Jacques guy."

"And what about Akatsuki?" asked Auk.

"Honestly? I just made it up on the spot." He said. "The question was out of the blue but I should've seen it coming. So I made a name up on the spot while buying a little time to make one up."

"Anyways, where is Swallow's contact?" he asked.

"It's over this way." Auk said before the trio made their way to the place they were told to go to.

It was a nice looking double storied house.

Auk knocked on the door as they waited for the contact.

"May I help you?" a younger voice then expected asked.

Just like with Weiss, it was a girl and she was also around Madara's age.

She had dark skin and short, navy blue hair with blue eyes. She also had a gold marking consisting of an oval shape surrounded by four smaller circles in the centre of her forehead.

She wore a blue beret, a plain grey button-down shirt with an asymmetrical collar, a blue combat skirt and fingerless, elbow length black gloves with a wristwatch on her left hand.

" _This can't be the contact…_ " all three thought.

"We are looking for a Caelum." Auk said.

She then nodded. "I was told that he was expecting three people." She said. "Please come in."

As the three let themselves in a man came walking out. Just like the girl, he had dark skin and had long navy blue hair that reached his lower back but it was tied in a braid.

He wore a blue jacket and dark grey pants that had a black belt wrapped around his waist.

"You must be friends of Swallow." He said. "A friend of Swallow is a friend of mine!"

"As you probably know, the name's Caelum, Caelum Soliel." He said before gesturing to the girl. "And this is my daughter, Ciel, who you already met."

"Hello." Caelum's daughter waved.

Madara returned the gesture. "Did Swallow tell you our names?" he asked.

"Yes!" he said. "Your Madara, he's Grouse and your Auk."

"That's correct." Madara nodded. " _He seems a bit to happy for this…_ "

"Are any of you tired?"

"I am." Madara revealed. "Not enough to sleep but enough to lay down for a bit. We didn't take a single break till we got here."

"Ah, well Ciel can show you to the room you'll be standing in for the time being." He said.

"Follow me." The blue beret said as Madara followed her to a room upstairs before he put his gear near the bed.

"Thank you, Ciel." He said as she nodded and left.

As Madara flopped back on the bed he stared at the roof. "It's all my fault." He said. He never forgot, he remembered it as clear as day thanks to the Sharingan.

He was the reason the faunus in the dust mines were being treated unfairly.

He was the one who caused the White Fang to get more violent in Atlas due to the unfair labour treatment of faunus in the mines.

Nine years ago…it was him.

He…was the one who killed Weiss' mother…


	9. Animal Cruelty

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or STRQ**_

Chapter 9: Animal Cruelty

Madara's eyes opened as he got out of bed as a single hand ran down his face. He was still coming to terms that he was the one that caused all this pain in Atlas.

All because he killed a white haired woman, the daughter of Nicholas Schnee, which caused Jacques Gele or now Schnee to make the labour in the mines for the faunus worse.

However with years of being raised with Raven, he was able to put that in the past since it cannot be changed and kept his cool about it when he spent time with the others in the Soleil household.

He couldn't change the past and he had personally done worse in his opinion. It was still a huge shock though.

He knew the world was a horrible place and it needed to change. It needed a saviour.

He knew that he and the tribe also made the world into what it was. He wasn't dumb or an idiot.

Despite the actions he and the tribe did, it opened his eyes to how horrible the world was and how it needed to change. It needed to go under a lot of work before it became a little less horrible.

Madara stood from his bed as he got changed back into his usual attire. The door opened as he saw Ciel standing there.

"Your up." She noted.

"I am up." Compared to her father, it was like she was a robot. "What are you doing up at this time?"

"This is the time I usually get up at." She said as she looked at her watch and back to him. "It's a waste of time to sleep in."

Madara had a small grin at that. "What do you know, someone who shares the same way as I do." He said as he strapped the gunbai to his back. "Is everyone else awake?"

"No, your room is the closest to mine."

Madara nodded as he walked past her. "You don't mind if I help myself do you?"

"Go ahead."

Madara walked downstairs to the kitchen. It was time to eat.

* * *

After breakfast, Madara sat on the roof of the house as he held a scroll in his hand. He looked around at the scenery around him as he awaited a call from Raven, to see if there was anything they needed to do here.

As soon as the scroll rung he immediately answered. "Hello."

"Morning, Madara." He heard his mother's voice on the scroll. "I assume your still in Atlas?"

"That is correct."

"Good. I need you to do something for me."

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's about the White Fang." Raven said. "Due to faunus treatment within the mines, the White Fang are becoming more aggressive and violent."

"…Yeah…"

"I fear that they might plan to strike and try to liberate the faunus from the harsh labour conditions."

"That would normally be a good thing."

"It would." She said. "But we can't let that happen yet. If the faunus attack the mines then that would cause faunus who aren't in the White Fang to be treated worse. We wouldn't be able to bring Turaco, Cuckoo, Crane or any other faunus with us into Atlas. The treatment in Atlas will just halt our plans and it will make a lot of future dealing within Atlas ten times harder."

"I understand, Mother." He said. "I'll take care of this personally."

"Good." When he heard his mother said that, he heard the warmth behind her words. "Remember, no survivors."

"I never planned on leaving any from the start." He then hanged up as he stood.

"Is it time?" Auk asked from the ground.

"It is." Madara jumped from the roof and began heading towards the mines.

"Where are we going?" Grouse asked.

"The mines. We are to stop any possible White Fang from trying to liberate the faunus from the mines. It's for our benefit. I don't want to have Turaco, Cuckoo and Crane suffer, especially in Atlas, all because of the White Fang." He said. "I assume Raven got it from a captured White Fang member they came across, otherwise we are just scouting the area."

"Do you think anyone will be there?"

"Maybe. I mean, they are fighting for their own kind." The heir to the tribe said. "They might have tried this before or are still fighting for it. All we have to do is stay and make sure they don't try anything, and if anything happens then we leave no survivors."

Auk and Grouse looked at each other before following Madara.

After some time, they made it to a small cliff that overlooked the mines but also a large part of land.

"We shall split up. I'll contact you through our scrolls." Auk and Grouse nodded before going their separate ways.

Madara stayed close to the edge of the cliff so he could see below. He then found himself a nice little spot which offered a good vantage point.

However it seemed like nothing was happening, but it looked like the Atlesian military were doing patrols with their advanced robots.

" _Nothing so far…_ " he thought before he decided to waste time on top of a tree branch. Nothing might happen, but something could.

If fighting broke out and he couldn't see it, he would definitely hear it or either Grouse or Auk would.

* * *

Some time had past and from Madara's spot on the top of a small cliff that overlooked the spot that he was watching and saw some White Fang soldiers.

The White Fang soldiers wore a uniform that consisted of a Grimm mask that covered their eyes and forehead with a uniform consisting of a white sleeveless jacket, a sleeveless black hood and black pants. They also wore black fingerless gloves, metal foot guards and boots as the White Fang logo was prominently displayed on the back of their white jackets.

They were fighting some robots from the Atlesian military.

The Atlesian Knight-130 or shorten to AK-130 were humanoid in shape and metallic dark-grey in colour with red highlights on certain parts of its body, mainly its face and chestplate. They also sported a retractable visor-mask that covered its face and it seemed that it also had wrist-mounted blades that also had red highlights.

The 'face' had a lower jaw but was otherwise blank, with a smooth, bright-red surface and no facial features.

"So they really did show." He said as he pressed some buttons on his scroll which caused Grouse and Auk to head towards him. He landed on the ground as he held his gunbai in his right hand.

"We're here." Auk said as they appeared shortly afterwards. "So they did come?"

"More like which attempt number is this?" Madara looked down at the battle. The Atlesian Knights had numbers, but it seemed a skilled fighter was helping the White Fang win this battle, especially when they way they were going in easily led to the mines.

"I guess it's time to dance." Madara walked to the edge.

"Wait, your not planning on going by yourself… are you?" asked Auk.

Madara only smirked towards her. "But of course. They might have failed in the past but that has led them closer to victory, especially when they themselves get stronger from their defeats if they lived." He turned back to the battle below. "How am I supposed to let a dance such as this, be taken away from me?"

"I supposed there was someone who got your attention?" Grouse asked.

"Who knows." The Branwen shrugged. "Only interfere if I really need it. I'll probably won't though."

Madara jumped from the edge of the small cliff and once he landed both the White Fang and the AK-130s looked towards him.

He stood up brushing his shoulder with his free hand before running towards one of the robots and raised his gunbai, only for it to smash the robot into pieces, completely destroying the head of said robot.

Madara grabbed another robot and ripped its head off before the robots declared Madara a threat while still fighting the White Fang.

"Keep your eyes on the most important threat here." Madara said behind one of the robots who focused on the White Fang before destroying it with a well placed strike that cleaved through its body.

Madara dodged some easy strikes from the robots and easily despatched them while also keeping his eyes on the White Fang. Their numbers dropped slightly, but there field leader was doing quite a good job.

The question was would he be able to take him out under the guise of being friendly or fight him to the death.

He hoped it was the latter.

As he destroyed the few remaining robots, he turned his attention to the White Fang. He raised his gunbai before swinging it and destroying the robot that tried to advance on him.

"Don't look at him! Fire!" the field commander shouted.

It seemed he didn't like the help.

Madara ran to the faunus firing at him while using his gunbai as a shield before gripping it with both hands and swinging it hard at the shooter's neck.

The gunbai slammed into the ground as it broke the goon's neck, killing him.

Madara slowly raised his gunbai and turned to the remaining White Fang. Some of the other goons looked terrified as the leader of the group looked at him without fear.

"Human." The faunus said. "…You're quite strong."

"You too. Is there a name to the tail?" he asked.

"Heh, it's Copper."

Madara smirked. "It's good to dance with you, Copper."

Copper had a long prehensile monkey tail that was the same colour as his hair which was an untamed redish brown mess. Much like the other White Fang members he wore a Grimm mask that only covered his eyes and wore the same outfit as them but with the hood down and without the white sleeveless jacket.

He wielded two spears, both the same maroon colour.

Madara brought up his hand as the White Fang thought he yawned before he shifted his hand as he released a massive wave of flames that resembled a massive fireball, which covered a wide range of the field.

Copper had quickly moved out of the way but his comrades weren't so lucky. They were all burnt to death then and there.

Copper looked at the charred remains and ashes of his companions. "I doubt that was your semblance." Copper said as he turned back to face him.

He raised his spears ready for a fight as Madara raised his gunbai.

The two lunged at each other as Madara blocked the strike of the first spear.

The second spear came from the side as Madara jumped back.

Madara swung his gunbai to counter both of the spears while the monkey faunus kicked him as Madara returned the attack in the same way.

Madara pulled up his gunbai as he blocked a swing of both spears that pushed Madara back creating distance between the two.

Copper stabbed one of the spears in the ground as he started to spin the other at high speeds creating tornado of wind however this one faced towards Madara. Madara in return swung his gunbai as he created a powerful gust of wind that collided with the whirlwind Copper created.

Madara ran forward as Copper picked up his spear before the two entered combat once more.

Madara dodged spear after spear while remaining of the defensive.

"Come on! Come on!" Copper shouted as he kept his attack up before Madara moved his gunbai only to swipe his leg under the monkey's legs as he fell to the ground.

Madara's gunbai slammed into the ground just as Copper rolled out of the way. His gunbai clashed against Copper's spears as Madara released what seemed to be ash from his mouth.

The ash covered a wide area as not only did it act as a highly effective smokescreen but also flames with the ash and dust. Anyone within would have been burned on contact.

Madara jumped out of the smokescreen created from dust as did his opponent who had some burns on him.

"Nice trick." The monkey said as he ran at Madara and attacked with his spears.

Madara swung his gunbai as it created a powerful gust to push the faunus back. During this time, Madara placed some dust in his mouth before he started to chew.

"Not again." The faunus said before he jumped up and swung his spears as Madara raised his gunbai.

The faunus continued to spin in the air, hit after hit on Madara. " _Almost…_ " he thought as he spun with the monkey and swatting him away with the momentum. "… _Now!_ "

Madara exhaled an ash similar to his previous attack but instead of around him, he exhaled it in a single direction.

Towards Copper!

Copper was covered in the ash as Madara ignited it with the small fire dust that was placed on his teeth, causing a violent explosion.

Madara narrowed his eyes as they morphed into the Sharingan as he dodged a spear that flew out of the smoke left after the explosion. A hand grabbed Madara's face as a foot landed in his stomach sending him away.

It seemed that the faunus had took more burns from the attack, his aura healing what if could.

As soon as the faunus got above him, he kicked the faunus off but not without the faunus landing a hit on him.

Madara stood up as the faunus kept his distance this time. Madara placed both hands on his gunbai as he waited for Copper to attack.

Copper also held his remaining spear that he didn't throw in both hands.

Copper jumped forward as Madara pulled the gunbai back before he ducked to the side of the monkey's attack which Copper just had a surprised expression at how Madara dodged with the speed he showed.

" _I can see through you._ " Madara smirked as the middle of his gunbai slammed into Copper's gut as all the air was expelled from the faunus.

Madara raised his gunbai once more as he slammed it down on the faunus who was too slow too move, right on his left arm.

Copper let out a primal cry due to the amount of pain he was in as Madara lifted the gunbai.

The cry of pain turned into a cry of rage as the faunus used his left arm to attack the Branwen.

"I thought I broke that?" Madara muttered as the monkey faunus appeared behind him and kicked him away before picking up one of his spears.

"Did you like that?" Copper said as he calmed down and flexed his once broken arm. "Aura can't heal injuries like that. I survived your flames and practically fixed my arm that you broke."

Copper looked from his arm and back to Madara as his eyes were glowing a single colour.

It was a fiery gold.

"…Every time you took damage from my more serious attacks, your eyes glow a fiery gold." Madara said. "Sure your aura can help with the burns but caught in an explosion? Not so much. The same goes to your arm as well."

"I can't tell what your semblance can really do, but from what I can tell, it allows you to fix or become immune to certain injuries or maybe even the pain."

Copper laughed. "That's quite close." He grinned. "When my eyes glow, that's when I fix my body and parts of it like my broken arm. With the flames, sure the lesser burns were healed by my own aura, but my eyes fixed the burnt skin."

"But it's not actually fixing it right?" Madara asked. "While it doesn't undo after your eyes return to normal, you still feel the pain."

"You caught on. It's actually a side effect of my semblance." He revealed. "While I use my eyes it also suppresses the pain. I could get stabbed and won't even feel it."

"However, that is only suppressing the pain." The monkey said as he than lunged at Madara who blocked with his own weapon. "Once it fades off, I will feel all the pain at once that I took while using my semblance."

" _That's quite a semblance._ " The son of the bandit leader narrowed his eyes. " _That means I have to kill him without him using his eyes…or a kill that he can't use his eyes._ "

" _The heart…or his eyes are my target._ " Madara raised his gunbau once he got some distance between them. " _I could wait for the pain to take effect, but it seems it might reset once the eyes are used again._ "

" _If only you were in our tribe or joined it, but it seems I cannot offer seeing as you seem to be loyal to the White Fang. Oh well, guess I have to use 'that' now._ "

Copper practically chased after Madara who jumped back after every stab attack that Copper made.

Madara swung his gunbai as he clashed with the faunus who's fist went around to punch the human.

The gunbai shined brightly as it blasted the faunus away. During this time, Madara covered his hand in lightning dust on his fingertips. He pointed his hand down as a wave of electricity was released from his fingertips as it travelled along the ground towards Copper.

The faunus got shocked as soon as he recovered.

Tightening his grip on his gunbai, he went to finish off the faunus. Suddenly from the ground, the White Fang faunus appeared from the ground. The spear missed but not the fist that hit him in the jaw.

In this short time, he saw Copper in front of him, reeling back his foot and he was very close, too close.

"Nice contacts." Copper grinned as he kicked Madara in the stomach as he saw the tomoe in Madara's eyes.

The kick sent Madara flying back into the side of the cliff before being kicked away by the monkey faunus.

Madara remained on his back as the faunus loomed above him while his left damaged hand curled around Madara's throat as he held the spear up high. "You were strong, if only you were a faunus." Copper said without a hint of remorse. "Goodbye, human."

He then stabbed the spear right where Madara's heart was. He had killed Madara.

Copper's grin dropped as he looked down to see his second spear pierced right through his heart. Blood poured from his mouth as he turned his head to look over his shoulder only to see…

…Madara.

"When did you-?" he asked as he coughed up blood.

"The moment you looked into my eyes, I won this fight." Madara said as his Sharingan spun. "You were caught in my illusion."

Copper weakly looked back down as his eyes widened behind his mask. His spear was pierced through one of the faunus that were here with him.

Madara placed a foot on Copper's back as he pulled the spear out causing the monkey faunus to fall face first on the other faunus. "Thank you for this dance."

Madara turned his attention to the field of death. "Seems like my job here is done." He said.

He spared a look towards Copper's corpse. "Hmm…"

* * *

Copper laid on his back with his arms crossed over his chest with his spears in both hands.

Soon Copper was covered in dirt as Madara walked away. It was the least he could do for the monkey seeing as he gave him a good fight.

"I assume that's all of them…"

"That's right." Grouse threw the corpse of a White Fang member on the ground. "I found this guy with something important. Good thing I killed him before he tried to report anything."

"Oh? And what did he have on him that was so important?"

Grouse grinned. "Come and take a look."

Madara and Auk followed Grouse where they soon saw what was so important.

It was an empty and ready for the taking bullhead.

"A real good find right?" Grouse asked.

"It is." Madara nodded. "But where are we going to hide it? Someone is bound to come across the corpses and then this bullhead."

"We'll fly it!" Grouse said.

"…Right…" Madara said. "Actually…that's a good idea. Fly the bullhead and find a secure a safe location for it."

"Roger that." Grouse said as he got in the bullhead.

"Are you staying or going?" Madara asked.

"I'll remain by your side." She said.

The two walked back towards the Soleil household while Grouse flew the bullhead away.

Madara brought up his scroll as he dialled Raven. "The job is done." Madara said as soon as she answered. "The White Fang appeared there and have been eliminated. No survivors."

"Good work." Raven praised. "Remain there for a few more days. Check up on the spot you found the White Fang as well."

"Right…also due to leaving no survivors we acquired a bullhead."

"Really?" she asked. Her portals were useful and she could practically go anywhere with them, but having a vehicle like a bullhead could also provide useful for the tribe. "I'll assume you arrive with it?"

"I believe so." Madara replied. "Not everyone can make portals like you and it would help the tribe here and there if you're not around."

"Now I got to go…and Madara?"

"Hm…?"

"…Stay safe."

Madara rolled his eyes, a bit too late for that. "Yeah, yeah. Love you too."

After placing the scroll away he continued back to the Soleil household.

 **Madara will be getting into his iconic armour later. He will be wearing it later on in the story.**


	10. I Think I'm Gonna Be Sickle

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or SSSN**_

Chapter 10: I Think I'm Gonna Be Sickle

It had only been two days since the fight with the White Fang and the faunus known as Copper.

He was back on the cliff edge where he destroyed the robots and killed the White Fang. As he looked down at the field, it seemed that Atlas' military had noticed their destroyed robots and the charred corpses of the White Fang and added more security to the area.

The White Fang wouldn't be able to go to the mines through this way anymore.

His mind focused on the fight with Copper. Despite it being a good fight, his mind wandered to his weapon.

While he was proud of his creation, he wondered if he should gain a second weapon to go hand in hand with it.

His gunbai acted as a shield and a mace, but it also had dust, aura and ranged capabilities to use in combat. While it was varied, it meant that while in close range when he goes for the kill, he could only do blunt attacks.

Sure his gunbai could smash a skull open or break an arm or even cleave through bodies like the Atlesian Knights, he also needed a guaranteed killer.

His dust was in the same situation. While he could form and use dust in multiple ways which Raven and Plover complimented on his uses of the stuff, certain techniques of his dust would probably not be enough to kill his targets.

While he could amplify the dust with his aura, you never know when you come across a person with the ability to warp flames which would render his fire dust ineffective.

Madara made up his mind as he left the cliff and wandered back to the Soleil household.

He was going to make a second weapon.

He was going to make another weapon to incorporate into his fighting style, and it would need and have to be used in conjunction with his gunbai.

To create this new weapon, he needed materials. Something similar to the tree he used for his gunbai.

Atlas had the technology to make advanced robots. Maybe he should look around here…or ask Ciel or Caelum, they might know something seeing as they live in Atlas.

"Hn…" he grunted as his walked towards the city.

* * *

Madara had walked into the house as he searched around for either Ciel or Caelum.

"Ciel." He called out to the teen the same age as him.

She turned around at hearing her name as she saw the Branwen approach her. "Yes?" she asked.

"I need some help." He said. "I plan on creating a second weapon to use with my gunbai, to fit into the fighting style and be used in conjunction with it, to be smooth and natural."

"…And where do I come in?" she asked with a raised brow.

"I'm going to make the weapon myself but I need materials." He said. "I got the weapon in my mind, but I need help in finding these materials."

"Which materials are you looking for?"

"Metal or steel, presumably both of the highest grade and quality." He said as he crossed his arms.

"And you want me to help you look?"

"That's the plan."

"Alright." She said as she stood from her chair. "Let's go."

Madara nodded as he followed Ciel to find some materials for his weapon.

* * *

"There are a lot of shops dedicated to weapons here." Ciel said. "Blacksmiths specifically and they should have what you're looking for."

Soon the two came across a shop that had a alluring but weird appearance. "This is the place?" he asked as she nodded while opening the door.

"Ah, hello." The shopkeeper greeted.

"Hello." Madara said.

"How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for some high quality metal and steel of the highest grade." Madara said as he looked at stock the shop had. "Something that won't break easily and can use both aura and dust without affecting it. I need something like that, you got any?"

The owner of the store looked at Madara before nodding. "We do, boy." He said. "However it is very pricy."

"Price is not an issue."

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked as he observed his customer.

"Really. I got the lien to spend."

"Well, we do have that in stock." He said. "But the only people who could buy it were the Schnee's and people like General Ironwood."

"Then it must be very reliable."

"That it is." The store keep stood up as he walked towards the back door behind him. "I'll get it out of storage for ya."

"Thank you."

"Feel free to take a look around and if other customers come, tell them I'll be out shortly."

Madara turned to Ciel who was occupied looking at the store's stock that was currently being in the room.

"Thanks for this, Ciel."

"It's not a problem." She said.

"…Are you interested in something?"

"Why'd you ask that?"

"Well you did help me with this, and I would like to return the favour."

"…Are you saying you'll buy me something?" she asked with wide eyes.

Madara felt his eye twitch. "What's with that expression?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." She quickly responded.

"Well…depending on how much I have left and if you want, I'll cover your purchases. That is if you choose to buy something."

Madara walked around the shop looking at the products on display. " _Magazines about weapons, magazines about dust, that sounds interesting._ " He continued looking before he spotted something that caught his interest. "… _A chain?_ "

He picked the chain up as he inspected it. " _Seems durable and the length is good as well…_ " he would have to ask the owner more about it.

After a while, the store's owner walked in with a large box and set it on the counter. "Here it is!" he said. "Take a look."

Madara opened the box as he looked at the metal and steel within the box. "This should be enough." He said.

"Did you find anything else that caught your interest?" he asked.

Madara placed the chain he saw on the counter. "Got a few questions about this chain." He said.

"Ask away."

"Is it durable enough to not break in combat?"

The owner picked up the chain and inspected it. "That's correct." He said. "Some of the Atlesian soldiers and Ironwood buy this stuff but for non combat uses though."

He gave Madara a look from the side. "Are you sure the length is fine?"

"Yes, the length is perfect." Madara said. "It's long enough to retrieve a weapon connected to it and long enough to connect to weapons together, it's also very flexible to boot."

"It sounds like you like weapons a lot."

Madara only shook his head. "Only for my own weapons that is. I'm not going to go crazy over every single weapon I see."

Someone, somewhere released a 'why' before an 'I'm not that obsessed with weapons' at what Madara said.

"When it comes to my own weapons, I need my weapons to be the best they can be."

"…Are you related to Ironwood?"

"No, I am not." Madara said. "Why?"

"It sounds like something he would say." The man said before bringing up the money total. "Here's the cost."

Madara paid for the materials and the chain as the owner's eyes widened. "Wow, you did have enough cash for that."

Madara took the chain and the box of supplies as he looked at Ciel. "See anything you like?"

"I'm good." She said before the two left the store.

"Come back again!" the man shouted as the two already left.

Madara and Ciel walked through the marketplace on their way back to the house. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"…Well…"

"I got lien to spare." He said. "…Let me drop these off and then we can go buy something for you, as a thank you for helping."

"A-Alright…"

After Madara dropped the newly bought supplies next to his gunbai and other gear, he walked with Ciel back to the malls.

As the two walked, they stopped at a couple of shops to have a look at the products they were selling.

Madara noticed that she was looking at a watch. Know that he noticed, her watch she was wearing was a little old.

"Do you want that one?" he asked and before she said anything he spoke once more. "Don't worry about the price. I just bought something more expensive."

"…Y-Yes. I would like that one…"

Madara had to admit, it was quite amusing to hear her like this. Despite her robotic like talking that he knew, it seemed like even she had emotions that she might have been hiding away.

It just showed her humanity under that near-monotone and matter of fact speaking of hers.

Madara released a chuckle as he bought the watch she wanted.

Upon purchasing the watch, he had given it to Ciel as she thanked him.

"Are you going to wear it now, or when we get back?"

"When we get back." She said as Madara spied some food.

"Do you want to eat before we go back?" he asked as he got a nod in return.

Madara had bought some food for the two as they sat on a nearby bench while they ate their meal.

"I got a question for you Ciel." Madara said. "Why do you always keep an eye on the time even though there's nothing planned or has a deadline?"

"…Well…I do like to be on time and keep things in an orderly manner by devoting certain amount of time to certain things."

"But there is something else…isn't there?"

Ciel slowly nodded. "There is one reason aside from being conscious of the time."

Madara stay silent as he listened to Ciel, taking in every word she said.

"My semblance…has to do with time."

"Like some sort of time manipulation?" he asked as she nodded. "That's quite an ability you got there."

"It is."

"Is there a problem with it?" he asked as he threw his rubbish in the bin.

"It's…not really a problem." She fiddled with the watch she was wearing. "My semblance needs to be activated, similar to other people's semblances, but it activates a bit too easily."

"Ah." Madara understood her problem to a degree. "Your worried that your semblance that revolves around time would activate and that's why you keep track of the time. To make sure your semblance doesn't activate without you wanting it too."

She could only nod as she looked down, no longer hungry.

"…Hey. It's not all that bad." He said. "While my semblance is different from yours, it used to activate randomly when I was much younger."

"Really? What's your semblance?"

She watched as Madara's eyes gained three tomoes. "This is my semblance. The Sharingan." He told her. "It has a few uses, one being close to combat foresight and perfect memorization."

"Because of it, it allowed me to not only remember important details…but I've seen some things that would normally scar a man." He told her. "Horrible images you wouldn't want to think about. So, I decided to get my semblance to stop activating randomly and only activate it when I want it to."

"Are you saying that I should-?"

"Yes." He cut her off. "You should practice to control your semblance rather than let it control you and ruin your life. Might I ask who else knows of your semblance?"

"Only my father…and you." She answered nervously.

"Good." He nodded. "It should be that way for your own safety. You might have to say that your semblance is actually a speed-type semblance."

"I-I see."

Madara stood from the bench as he offered her his hand. "I'll help you get control of your semblance."

"You'll help?"

"I'll help."

Ciel raised her hand as she took a hold of the Branwen's hand as he gently pulled her up.

"Before we work on your semblance, there seems to be a few more shops…"

The two walked around for a bit, looking at different shops while they'd talked, mainly Madara asking questions about Atlas itself.

After the two finished their chat, they left for Ciel's house. Once inside, he went up the stairs to get his supplies and his gunbai.

Madara took the supplies he bought from the shop as he went into the 'workshop' of the house that Caelum gladly let him used.

He started his work immediately.

It was time to create his second weapon to compliment his gunbai and vice versa.

* * *

Madara walked out of the workshop with his new weapon, it was quite lucky that Caelum had the tools required to make his new weapon.

The weapon was held in his right hand opposed to the left. It would take some time getting used to seeing as how his gunbai was originally wielded in his right hand.

The weapon he had created was a Kama, a very large kama at that. It could have been mistaken for a sickle, which it was but under a different name to differentiate from the more curved sickles that people knew or a scythe, but they were actually very close to what the weapon was.

His kama was around the same size of his gunbai and the blade was like one seen on a scythe, except it didn't bend as much as a scythe's blade would.

"I see you finished your new weapon." Ciel said as Madara noticed she was wearing her new watch.

"And I see you are wearing your new watch." Madara said with a slight smirk as Ciel just turned her head slightly.

"Y-Yeah. I didn't want to just leave it in the box after you bought it for me."

Madara couldn't help but be amused.

Madara had connected his kama with his gunbai by the chain which was behind him. It was going to take some time to get used to.

"I think it's about time I test it out." He said aloud before looking at Ciel. "Do you want to work on your semblance now?"

She nodded as she led Madara to the back where they could train properly.

"Before we begin, do you mind telling me more of your semblance?"

"Well…where to begin." She said. "Well, in theory it's like the Schnee semblance of glyphs."

"Oh? And how so?" he asked. He heard Weiss say that her semblance was glyphs but nothing else.

"The Schnee glyphs have a variety of effects on people, monsters and people, even the user themself." She started to explain the Schnee family semblance. "They can be used for propulsion, use as solid platforms, use as a shield or barrier, accelerate objects and even they can be modified with dust and also give people 'enhancements' like increased speed and reaction time."

"…That's a lot for a single semblance…" Madara said slowly. "How do you know this?"

"From watching the specialist Winter Schnee, of the Special Operatives Unit within the Atlesian military." She told him.

"…Who? I know of Weiss Schnee, but I never heard of Winter Schnee."

"She is the eldest child of the Schnee family."

"So she is next in line then?"

"No, that title was passed down to Weiss, the middle child." Ciel said. "It was abdicated when she decided to join the Atlesian military."

"Huh…well for a rich family with a hereditary semblance, it sure is varied in its abilities."

"There is another ability I know that the glyphs have."

"Another one? And what's that?"

"…The ability to summon Grimm."

Madara's eyes widened at what he heard. "What?!" he asked.

"Well, they can summon Grimm that they have previously defeated." Ciel said rubbing her arm. "However unlike their normal appearance, they appear white-blue instead of the usual colours we know them for."

Madara had been thinking of ways to quickly summon the Nevermore he 'caught' but it seemed it was a lot harder to capture any other Grimm with his eyes.

However, while his Nevermore was out and about, when he calls for it he had to wait some time before the Nevermore got to him.

He needed a way to quickly summon the Grimm if he ever needed it.

Seeing how his semblance with the Sharingan had a few abilities such as memorization, 'foresight', seeing aura and illusions and with the Schnee family semblance to have multiple abilities with their glyphs, maybe his eyes could hold more abilities then he knew.

That also went for Ciel's semblance, seeing how it seemed to be similar but with related to time that the more varied glyphs.

"Are you ready, Ciel?" he asked. "Cause we are going to work on your semblance!"

Ciel nodded, ready to go.

Madara smiled. "If there's anything else you should tell me about your semblance, you should do it now."

"Well, my semblance sometimes has its own 'glyph' that appears behind me, but it takes form a Roman numeral clock without the hands."

"…So it's kind of an astral clock?"

"Uh yeah, like that."

"Hm, if your theory is correct then maybe you could change the size of it like the Schnee glyphs."

Madara then got into a stance without his weapons. He would test his new kama out on Grimm later.

"Let's work on your semblance, Timekeeper!"

 **Oh yeah, he's got his Kama. Regarding his Mangekyo and the EMS, I'm trying to decide whether he should just go Mangeyko without the bleeding (or rather blindness) or go into his Eternal Mangekyo when he awakens it.**


	11. About Time

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Madara or RNJR**_

Chapter 11: About Time

Madara had put a large gap between him and Ciel. He crouched slightly as he was in what seemed to be a grappling stance, but also resembled that of a claw.

"Ready?" he asked. "Cause here I come!"

Madara ran towards the blue beret wearer, closing the distance pretty fast.

" _Got to use my semblance, got to use my semblance._ " She repeated in her head.

It was if time had been slowed down as Madara approached with his arm raised, ready to strike.

" _Now!_ " she thought as she called on her semblance.

Madara's closed his fist as he punched the ground…where Ciel was.

" _She…vanished?_ " Madara stood up as he looked behind him and there she was, standing over where he first stood.

"So that's the power of your semblance."

She nodded. "Now you can see why I'm conscious of the time."

"Yeah, if you weren't aware of your surroundings at the time, I can see why." He replied. "But…it has a limit, doesn't it?"

"So far it can only work for five seconds."

"Then where's the problem…unless it doesn't affect you." Madara said as he got ready to attack again. "…Do you age in paused time?"

"…I do."

"Now I know why your conscious of the time. You're afraid that your normal five second time limit will go past five seconds and fear of aging rapidly because of it." Madara gave her look that showed that he understood. "However, that is why we are training your semblance, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Can you show me your astral clock?" he asked.

"I-I'll try…" she replied.

Ciel focused her attention on the Astral Clock that appeared at times when she used her semblance.

Then it appeared behind her.

The 'Astral Clock' was what Ciel had described it, a Roman numeral clock without the hands. There was a large circle with a slightly smaller circle within the larger circle. It kinda looked like a disc in a way.

In between the two circles were the Roman numerals in their respective formations where they were usually found on the clock. There were also two more circles on the larger circle and the slightly smaller circle, where the numbers were, above and below creating a small gap which had lines in them.

It was primarily white with a blue tint and sometimes a little green as well depending on the angle.

"So that's your astral clock?" he said. "I wonder how you'll use it like the glyphs."

"So what do we start with?"

"The appearance of your Astral Clock appears behind you as its default it seems." Madara said. "We know you can stop time even without calling upon your astral clock, so we will see if you can speed up and slow down time."

"Speed up…Slow down?"

"Like the Schnee glyphs." He said. "You said they could make 'enhancements' on people to increase their speed and reaction time. Maybe you could speed yourself up and others with your astral clock, and maybe even slow your enemies down with the clock too."

Madara tapped his chin as he thought of the possibilities. "Time is a complicated yet simply subject, so you could have more abilities then we know of with your power of time."

"You think so?"

"I know so." He gave her a smile. "You were born with a incredible semblance. There's no reason to fear it but to make it your own."

"Then let's continue."

"Now you're talking, Ciel."

Ciel watched as Madara lunged at her before she activated her semblance. The world froze as Madara had stopped with his fist ready to strike. Ciel walked around behind Madara as her astral clock followed behind her.

She positioned his fist slightly towards his head.

Then time resumed as Madara watched as his fist fly past his own head. "You cheeky…haha." He released a low chuckle as he turned towards her. "I'm beginning to like you more."

"Now, what was it like to stop time?"

"Not much, just that every stops in motion." She said. "However, sometimes with the things I throw they momentarily move in the stopped time before stopping."

"Interesting, interesting indeed." He then gave her a cautious look. "But I might have to be careful around you if you use your semblance for perverted intentions."

"I can only stop time for five seconds! And I never thought about it and now that you brought it up, won't!"

"Calm down." He said. "But your five seconds can be expanded. With enough training you could get it to seven seconds, nine seconds or even ten seconds."

"Hm…increase how long I can hold it up for?"

"Yes, and it seems you can cancel it too if your done, right?" as he asked she nodded.

"Call back your Astral Clock and we'll focus on its other uses." Madara then saw the look on her face. "Don't worry thinking if you can't bring it back. Just will it, call upon it. It's a part of your soul after all."

"Once you call our your AC, deactivate your semblance and call upon it again. We will do that for now as our main objective this session."

When she called out her astral clock and willed it away, a few minutes have passed as she done so while Madara was sitting patiently on the ground with one knee up.

It seemed she was getting the hang of it now. Her Astral Clock was appearing more commonly when she called upon it when she activated her semblance.

" _So her Time Stop doesn't require the Astral Clock, but that means the Astral Clock can be used for other time-based abilities._ " Madara noted. "That's enough." He called out as he stood up.

"…Why haven't you trained with your semblance before?" he asked with curiosity. "You seem to be doing fine on your own."

"I never really put to much practice into it because of the possibility of my semblance 'freezing' on me."

"Freezing?"

"What if you paused time, but it didn't go back to normal after you tried to cancel it or the time limit didn't wear off?"

"That's…not a good idea to think about." Madara said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't think about that possibility. You're always in control of your semblance."

"T-Thanks…"

"Now, let's see what else you can do."

Ciel nodded with determination. "What we can't do today, we'll do tomorrow."

* * *

Hours passed as Ciel practiced with her semblance. "One more time, Ciel." The Branwen said to the Soleil. "After this we can continue this tomorrow."

"Right." She said as the astral clock appeared behind her. She focused before it appeared under Madara himself before Madara felt a change.

Madara moved…but noticed his movements where now slower than before. It didn't slow him down by much but it did slow him down regardless.

"Good work." Madara praised. "You could possible change how slow I would be able to move if you keep it up."

The slowness on Madara had vanished and his speed returned to normal. "Now let's go back inside. If we can, we can continue tomorrow."

The two walked inside before splitting up inside of the house. Madara put his stuff away before he walked into the kitchen, his mind wondered to what his companions were doing.

Grouse and Auk had spent time at the bullhead and at the household with Caelum. Speaking of which, he and Grouse were chatting like old friends or something.

"Madara, Raven called and we leave in a few days."

"…I see." He said. "Hm, how long is a few?"

"Two or three days, at the least." She said as she glanced at the tribe leader's son. "Why?"

"Just want to finish up a few things and test my weapon out on Grimm."

"…Well, you have two days minimum, three days max."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you."

"Sure you do."

* * *

Bright and early the next day, Madara held his kama in his right hand and his gunbai in his left.

"So…what are we doing out here?" Ciel asked.

"Simple. We are going to fight Grimm!"

"Wait what?!"

"I want to test out my newly made weapon here, and plus it's also good to see you use your semblance against Grimm." He said. "Two birds with one stone."

"So that's why you asked me to bring my weapon…"

"Yes." He said. "Plus…I wanted to see your weapon anyway."

He turned his head towards her. "What IS your weapon. I don't see it on you…"

Ciel only held up her watch.

"…Your watch?"

"On my old one, I had modified a weapon on it." She said. "However…that was just a 'modification' on the watch. I put a similar modification on this one too."

She then held her wrist with the watch on before as a yellow with a slight orange tint, single pointed blade emerged from the watch before she held three throwing knives of the same colour and similar shape.

"Solar weapons." She said.

"Oh? Never seen that." He closely inspected the weapons. "I assume your modification absorbs solar energy daily."

"That's right. Daily solar energy without use has built up a lot of reserve energy." She deactivated the blade from her watch. "Useful at night for illumination and due to absorbing daylight nearly all day, can last through the night without a problem."

"But what about the knives?" he asked at the still remaining knives.

"Since they became separate from my weapon, they'll last on there own for a while." She then threw the three knives that were held in between her fingers at a tree. "They'll stay imbedded in the tree before disappearing."

"How long is a while?"

"Depends on how much I use." She said. "Usually the knives I create only have enough energy to use for a few minutes, and when they hit something and depending on what it is they either disappear or stay like there are now."

"Then let's go and kill some Grimm." He said as he continued forward with Ciel right behind him.

The search for Grimm wouldn't be too hard, especially when the further away from secure and well protected civilization you get.

"There they are." He said as she he saw some Beowolves. "You ready?"

"Ready than I'll ever be…"

"Good." Madara immediately ran at the Beowolf before him and swung his kama, taking its head off in one swift and clean manner.

He watched as the second Grimm suddenly got two solar knives jabbed in its eyes.

Madara blocked a strike from the third before using his kama to stab the soulless creature in the side.

He looked to his side as he saw Ciel using her solar blade to cut her Grimm opponents up while also using her semblance to slow the Grimm down.

She had to work more on her Astral Clock to get better effects, but she was doing great!

Madara knocked the Beowolf down before he slashed its throat with his kama before moving onto the next.

He heard a loud hiss before he yelled out to Ciel. "Watch out! King Taijitu!" he shouted as said Grimm appeared directly at Madara.

The King Taijitu was a large snake like Grimm with two halves like the Jorogumo, however unlike the Jorogumo, the King Taijitu had two heads as it shared the same body. The King Taijitu sported many fangs in its jaws, with a long, black forked tongue to boot. It was split into two halves, the white half and the black half which were connected in the center.

The black half was primarily black in colour, though it did contain a few speckles of white on its underbelly, as well as some isolated areas along its body. It had large, blood-red eyes and a white bony covering with red markings on the top of its head.

The white half was basically the inverse of the black half. It too sported large, blood-red eyes with the only difference being that it had a deep grey bony covering with red markings. Towards the end of the white half's body, its scales had what seemed to be a checkerboard design of grey and white before turning black and white as it then went completely black where the other half begun.

The black half of the Taijitu was approaching him before it too, got two solar knives stuck in its eyes…but its sense of smell was still quite strong.

He saw Ciel's astral clock appear on the Grimm, specifically on its serpentine body before it slowed it down before he noticed it under him as he felt himself speed up.

Ciel's buffs were slightly stronger than her debuffs.

"Good job, Ciel!" Madara said. "Who knows, you might be able to make multiple astral clocks if you keep it up!"

Suddenly the white half of the King Taijitu attacked. Madara blocked the white half with his gunbai as he landed on top of the black half.

Then he activated his semblance. "Knife!" he shouted as he opened his mouth as Ciel threw one of the solar knives at him which he caught with his teeth. " _Warm._ " He turned his head around just as he caught it and released it as it stabbed into the white half's jaw before disappearing.

As the white half opened its jaw from the pain, Madara swung his kama cutting the lower half of the jaw off.

Madara looked to the side as the black half tried to coil around and eat him before he jumped off as the wrist mounted solar blade pierced the black half of the King Taijitu's black half.

The white half lunged itself at the beret wearer only for a kama to cut its head off. "Be careful! It might act like a snake if its head is cut off!"

Ciel jumped back as the head landed on the ground.

The black half was weakly hanging on as Madara covered the kama in fire dust as the flames burned brightly on the blade as he cut through the remainder of the Grimm like a hot knife through butter.

They kept an eye on the Grimm's corpse before it started to evaporate into black smoke along with the cut off head.

It was safe.

"Pretty good moves out there, blue." Madara said as he dusted off his shoulder.

"That's because I did most of the work."

"Hn, you wish." He said. "Besides, didn't I say that it was to test my kama and your semblance against Grimm? I think it worked out alright."

"Hn, I don't know."

"…That, hn, is my thing."

"I know…I know…"

"Well, let's head back." He said. "I'm quite happy with both my weapon and your performance."

"…I'm not a student…"

"And I'm not a teacher, but here I am helping you."

"You offered though!"

Madara's lip twitched upwards. "I know."

Ciel released a sigh. "Let's just go back…"

"Yes, let's move."

With that both the blessed white raven and the sun headed back to civilization, happy with the results from hunting Grimm.

* * *

Raven sat on a chair as she looked at some documents she managed to 'secure' from a location that shouldn't be disclosed.

"Hm…Amber huh?" she mused before putting the paper on a desk next to an old dusty book about the old man and the four seasons. "You might be onto something o' son of mine."

She looked to the rest of the tribe members, doing their own thing. "…I wonder…" she muttered quickly as she looked at the tribe. "How can I increase his strength further from what it is now?"

He son had been growing stronger by the day, she was very proud of him.

But he still had the potential to get much stronger.

Her lips formed into a smirk. She knew how to get him much stronger and also show him that world was much darker than he thought it was.

 **Chibi Omake**

"Ok, first we'll test your time semblance on this training dummy." Chibi Madara said as Chibi Ciel looked at the training dummy.

Chibi Madara looked at his clipboard with a pen. "Begin."

Chibi Ciel looked at the training dummy before activating her semblance. "ZA WARUDO!"

Time had stopped as the world briefly changed into negative colours as a slowed down clock noise played from somewhere. The world also seemed to gain a slight grey-blue tint.

She pulled out multiple knives before throwing them as they sailed through the air momentarily moved in the stopped time before they stopped moving themselves all the way she shouted. "MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!"

The knives were just about to hit the dummy. "Zero." Time returned as the knives stabbed into the dummy.

Madara looked up at the dummy with multiple knives stuck into it. "…You pass."

"BUT, you have no steamroller, so you lose points."

Ciel just gave him a look before she let out a familiar noise. "WWWRRRYYYY!" she screeched?

"...You get extra points for that."

 **Sorry about the omake, couldn't help myself. There was an opportunity and I went for it.**


	12. Warring Tribes

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 12: Warring Tribes

Madara had his gear as he and his companions were ready to leave. "Thank you for your hospitality." Auk said as Caelum just laughed.

"Nah, nah, its fine." He said.

However as Auk, Caelum and Grouse were talking, Madara was talking to Ciel.

"You sure you got to leave? I mean, you could always join the academy here."

Madara just shook his head. "Sorry, but it's not really my style." He said. "Your probably worried about your semblance, don't worry. You made progress since then."

Madara placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it." He told her. "Sure, using your semblance constantly can be exhausting at times when used multiple times one after another, but the more you'll use it, the more you can use it without becoming exhausted. My eyes are the living proof of that."

With her semblance, her current level wouldn't tire her out that much and would tire her out in quick succession of one after another.

But if she makes her current level higher with making the buffs, debuffs stronger and the time stop last longer then it would actually exhaust her quicker than before, but that was why they did that training for the past few days when he was there.

To allow her semblance to grow without the effects of exhaustion coming into play…at least for now and depending on how her semblance would grow.

This also went for multiple targets as well, seeing as she could only do it on herself and one other person. She might be able to make a second astral clock and maybe even more in the future to where she could buff and debuff more than one person at the same time.

"Just don't worry about it, you'll do fine." He told her. "When I see you again, I hope you progressed with your semblance."

Madara started to walk away as he lifted his hand while he walked away. "See ya, Ciel."

Ciel waved as she watched Madara walk away.

* * *

Madara stood in front of the bullhead that they took from the dead White Fang. "You coloured it." He muttered.

The original dark grey colour of the bullhead was now a dark red colour.

Madara just looked at them. "Why?"

Grouse looked at him as he boarded the ship with his stuff. "Why not colour it?" Grouse shrugged as he continued.

"Most of the bullheads I've seen were grey, just like this one with White Fang." He pointed out. "Wouldn't that make us stand out?"

"…Uh…wouldn't it make life more exciting?"

"…I rather we wouldn't bring attention to ourselves, but sure." Madara had boarded the bullhead as he and Auk placed their stuff in the bullhead before they started to take off.

"Heading back to the tribe. Do we have their coordinates?"

"We do." Auk said as the bullhead left from its hiding spot and flew into the air.

"We have weapons right?" Madara asked as he stood behind the pilot.

"Um, we have a chin-mounted machine gun." Grouse said as he checked the weapons.

"…Excellent. This will provide decent air support." Madara turned away as he walked away from the pilot.

Auk couldn't help but shake her head. Each passing day he was slowly becoming more like his mother.

* * *

Madara looked down at the ground from the opened door of the bullhead. "I see them." He said as he spotted the tribe waiting for them. "Land us down, Grouse."

The bullhead slowly descended towards the ground. Once the bullhead landed, he jumped from bullhead before the walking ramp appeared as he walked towards his mother.

"We're back." He said before gesturing to the bullhead. "And with some spoils of war to boot."

"You brought back a big one." Swan said as he looked at the dark red bullhead.

"Okay everyone, put your gear on the bullhead, we will be moving shortly!" Raven commanded the tribe who then got to moving.

Raven looked towards her child with a small smile as she held her Grimm mask. "I see you're safe."

"…Yes." Madara said with a raised eyebrow. "I could say the same for you."

"Come with me." She said as she walked away with her son following. "I got a gift for you."

Madara stopped slightly as his eyes widened a little bit. " _A gift? As in a present?_ " he wondered before following his mother again. " _What?_ "

There was…a feeling within him that he could not describe. It was an odd feeling.

He entered what seemed to be a hut. It didn't look like they built this, so that meant they occupied it after the last tenants.

As Raven walked to get his 'gift', she pointed to a chair. "Close your eyes."

Madara rolled said eyes before taking a seat and close his eyes. "Put your hands out." She said as he moved his hands out slightly as something was placed within them. "There you go, open them."

He opened his eyes to see a mask or rather a helmet. "I think it's about time, you got your own mask." He heard her say as he focused on the details of the mask.

It was a white mask with a purple tint that was almost unrecognizable which would cover the upper half of his head. The mask's design consisted of a ripple pattern with three tomoe around the centre, two of which act as the mask's eye-holes and it resembled his Sharingan but with a ripple pattern.

Madara turned the mask around before he placed it over his head. "It was specifically designed for combat." Raven said as she watched Madara put on the mask like a glove. "Because of this, it makes it very durable."

"Hn, really?" he asked as he looked up at her with his new mask. "You tested it?"

Madara stood as Raven smirked and put her own helmet on. "I've tested it, but how about you test it yourself?"

Her eyes gazed to Madara's back. "I also see you got yourself a new weapon."

Madara pulled out his kama with the chain. "I needed something to compliment my gunbai." He showed off the kama in his hands before he placed it behind his back. "It works seeing as I tested it."

"I'm guessing you used the best metal and steel Atlas had to offer."

Madara nodded as they moved outside towards the bullhead. "Only the best for a blessed raven." He smirked behind his mask.

Raven couldn't help but smile behind her mask too. She was proud of her child, never failed to disappoint.

"So who are we up against?" she heard him ask.

And there it was, the growing pride of her child continued growing.

"Yes, while you know we are apparently the only tribe that we know of, apparently there is another tribe out there." She said as Madara narrowed his eyes.

"Another tribe?" he didn't think there was another tribe. "…That's a problem…"

"Exactly. They will just ruin us and make it harder for us." They both got on the bullhead before it started to take off. "Thanks to your efforts in Atlas, we got a fake reputation as a mercenary group, but this tribe could ruin our fake reputation and show our true colours as bandits."

"Do you know where they are?"

"I know roughly where they are."

"…" Madara leaned his back against the interior of the bullhead. " _Another tribe? I hope they'll give me a good dance._ "

The dark red bullhead flew in the sky before they got closer and closer to the other tribe. "Grouse, Swallow." Raven called out as the door opened. "Provide us with air support."

"Got it!" they both said.

"Passerine, remain her and provide sniper fire." Madara said as he jumped off.

"R-Right." She saluted.

Raven shook her head as she jumped out of the bullhead after her son.

Madara landed on the ground as Raven landed just as elegantly next to him. The two stood side by side as the rest of the tribe dropped behind them.

"Ready?" the two Branwen said at the same time.

They both got a wave of agreement from the members behind them. "We're going in!" Madara then ran forward holding with his weapons followed by the tribe.

…The opposing tribe never saw it coming…

Madara swung his kama cutting the head off one of the other tribe members. One of the enemy tribe members, from their recent pillage, picked up a spear and threw it at Madara as it was blocked with the gunbai.

He threw his kama at the same individual and once the blade sunk into the man's shoulder, he put the chain back as he ripped the arm clean off.

They saw one man, who looked like the leader get to the top of a tall rock and was about to use dust. "Raven!" he called out as he pulled his gunbai up.

Raven ran towards her son as she turned in midair when she then landed on his glowing gunbai. Raven was then launched at high speeds towards what seemed to be the leader.

She gripped the handle of her odachi before as she past the leader, she had her sword drawn.

The leader's head rolled off a few seconds later.

"Doesn't this seem a bit easy?" Plover asked as she shocked another tribe enemy to death. "They are ill equipped and no once have I seen the use of aura from them."

"Is it possible they didn't unlock their aura?" Parrot asked as she controlled her poisonous gas clouds on a group of them.

"They should know that without aura, they wouldn't stand a chance against foes who know how to use aura."

"Well then…it's easier…for us…" Parrot said as the cloud dissipated.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Swan shouted as he smashed his hammer into the enemy's skull causing it to look like a watermelon with the way it splatter.

"…Unless they were being used." Madara brought up. "Leave no survivors."

The tribe continued 'fighting' the enemy tribe. Heron slammed his large sword into the ground as Cuckoo's claw gauntlets stabbed into the neck of two other enemies.

The runners were easily taken care of by Passerine who shot the head of each of the runners as the bullhead took care of the large groups.

While they had numbers, they lacked skill.

"…Is that the last of them?" Madara asked as he pulled his kama out of his last slain enemy.

"I believe so." Raven walked over, sheathing her blade. "However, I too have the feeling that they were being used."

"So…if you're correct, then these guys despite their numbers were used as canon fodder?" asked Crane.

"That's just a possibility." Madara said. "Or they could have been the leeches following after the real tribe."

Madara pulled out his scroll as he contacted the team in the bullhead. "Grouse, Swallow, I want you guys to fly away from here for a bit just in case. Provide air support when you see a large fireball or multiple being fired into the air."

"Got it." He heard Swallow on the other side before the bullhead flew away as he saw Potoo standing at the bullhead's door with his arms behind his back and gave a nod towards Madara.

"If they are being used, they'll think we let our guard down." Both the mother and son said. "Get into cover, keep your guard up and be on the lookout!"

"… _They are so alike…_ "

They looked so alike…and acted alike…

It was kinda almost uncanny sometimes.

The tribe got into their hiding positions while also keeping their guards up. "If nothing happens in the next ten or so minutes, we're leaving." Raven whispered to the rest of the tribe.

* * *

Footsteps were heard as a small group entered the pillaged village.

"Damn." One of them said as they looked at the bodies. "What a waste."

A second whistled out. "Damn? More like wow. They got through them fast."

The first figure wore black boots, woodland camo army pants that were tucked into the boots and wore a short tank top that exposed their midriff. The figure was a female with a tan and long black hair that went to her upper back and pink eyes.

She flipped her hair back at what the second said. "No it's not. It's a waste of my semblance."

"We will just find some more for you to control." The second figure said.

The second figure had short untamed black hair and from his hair were two long antennas that almost reached to his calf. He wore onyx armour that covered his torso, arms and legs and on his hands were what appeared to be same coloured claws that resembled that of lobsters and crayfish.

The third figure was a male like the second figure. He wore a white robe with only one wide, loose fitting sleeve, black pants with matching shoes and the robe was tied with a thin grey sash. The most noticeable feature was that he wore large prayer beads around his neck. He wore a wooden mask that gave off a tribal feel and like Swan, he was bald except for a few scars on his head.

The fourth figure was female like the first. She wore a loose, pin-striped long-sleeved shirt with a dark obi around the waist, black pants which got much looser near the ends, resembling hakama, and striped leg-warmers. She had medium length brown hair that extended on each side of her face with brown eyes.

The fifth figure was another male. He was a rather muscular man with long, dark grey hair that was similar to the first figure but went to the middle instead with dark skin like Ciel. He carried a sharp gaze and his eyes had black circles around them. He wore a white sash around his waist, a single gold arm ring around his right upper arm, and black baggy pants. He also donned a high collared, black cloak.

The last and final figure had an air of authority around him.

"…It seems we are surrounded." The fifth figure said and appeared to be the leader. He turned his head slightly to see Madara before they rest did see that they were indeed surrounded with no escape.

The first figure raised a finger only for the fifth to bring her arm down.

"No…let's make this interesting." He told her. "Before you attack, I would like to make a deal."

Madara pulled back his kama. "…Why?"

"It's okay." Raven said as she walked over to her son. "What type of 'deal' do you have in mind?"

"One-on-one." The leader said. "We are clearly outnumbered and if you wanted too, we will be quickly defeated."

" _That depends…on your strength._ " She thought. "Why should we have a one-on-one?"

"Not just one, but five one-on-ones." He said with his monotone and serious voice. "If you want, they can be life taking or not. You can choose who can go first for your side."

"…Go on."

"We and you will have our battle last, as respecting leaders of the group."

"How did you know I may be the leader of this group?"

"You seemed to command him very well."

"Oh? And it didn't cross your mind that he might listen to me for another reason?"

The leader narrowed his eyes. "Then who is the leader?"

Raven smirked behind her mask. "Me."

"…"

"So, I choose four of my warriors to compete against yours before we ourselves fight?"

"That's correct." The dark grey haired man said. "My name is Gris."

"…Raven." She said. "So what if one side wins."

"If we win, we leave free." Gris said. "If you win, then our fate is up to you."

Raven turned back to the tribe and back to Gris. "I've chosen my four."

"Already?" he asked. "Regardless, we'll start now if you wish."

Raven nodded.

"Then let's create room." Gris said before they left a large fighting area for the fighters.

Raven's tribe on one side and Gris' tribe on the other, they then sent out their first fighter.

"Fen, you're up first." Gris said.

The first figure from before then walked out onto the field as she flicked her hair back once more.

"…Madara." Raven said as the masked Madara walked out onto the field.

"You're my opponent?" she asked as he made no indication to move. "Well, whatever, you'll pay for breaking my toys."

Gris then shouted to the two. "BEGIN!"

Fen grinned as she pointed her finger at him, seemed she had to weapon. As she pointed her finger at him, a small ball of energy appeared at her fingertip.

It was yellow in colour and had yellow sparks around it. She fired the shot at Madara how made no attempt to move before he tilted his head as the shot hit the tree.

She used both index fingers as she created two more small balls of 'energy' and fired them at Madara, one after another.

Fen was starting to get annoyed as she calmed herself down. " _How is he dodging my shots? These shots would be too fast for him._ " She thought as she watched Madara dodge her attacks. " _That's it…more output!_ "

Then the small orbs appeared on all her fingertips and thumb as she fired them at once as Madara jumped to the side. Fen's eye twitched before she started to fire rapidly at him with all ten shots.

When that wasn't working, she created two of those same energy balls in her palms instead and this time…it was even bigger then the small ones on her fingertips and seemed to be the size of a tennis ball if not a little bit bigger.

She fired shot after shot at Madara. Just like before she fired without stop at Madara…but this time he was getting closer.

Madara spared a glanced behind him where the trees have been hit and back to Fen. Afterwards, he started to get closer to her which started to get to fire more. " _He's getting close…why did he suddenly change to the offensive-_ " there was no time, he had his gunbai up, she needed to attack now, think later.

She placed her hands together, leaving space before she made a large energy ball compared to the smaller ones she fired. It would be just smaller than a soccer ball.

She fired it at Madara who held up his gunbai as it took the shot. She stumbled back as the gunbai hit her side as she fell to the ground.

Fen's eyes looked to the side where Raven's tribe was before she fired a tiny sphere from her fingertip.

She had a slight smirk on her face as before the gunbai blocked the shot before it was pulled back from the spot.

Fen turned her head to see Madara as a wave of fear ran through her body. She looked through his eye-holes in his mask…and it was a face of pure hatred for what she tried to do.

She felt his hand around her neck before his eyes spun dangerously. "H-Help." She choked out as something started to rise behind Madara.

"How dare you!" was all he said as one large eye similar to Madara's was on the…thing behind him.

She looked back to Madara who was gone, left her for dead.

Fen tried to stand as the large one eyed creature slammed its giant hands next to her before the ground around her started to rise closer to the creature's head.

The beast opened its jagged mouth before long black spears shot out from its mouth as it pierced the immobile Fen.

She was brutally stabbed in her legs, arms, torso and even her head. The long spears remained appearing out of its mouth as they remained in the stabbed Fen.

Madara had dropped Fen before he turned to Gris. "Her mind was destroyed. She's gone." He said before picking up the body and walking away.

Gris had his arms crossed and didn't seem to care. "That's what she got for trying to attack the enemy when she wasn't supposed to." He said. "Marron, you're up."

The second figure in onyx armour, what seemed to be claw weapons that resembled that of lobsters and crayfish as well as two long antennas from his head, walked out onto the field.

Raven turned to her tribe. "Crane." Was all she said as their faunus walked onto the field with his mechanical gloves.

The two faunus faced each other. "You're a faunus?" Marron asked.

Crane nodded. "What type of faunus are you?"

"I'm a Crayfish."

" _Well…the claw weapons gave it away._ " Crane thought. " _The more you know about faunus…_ "

Soon they began as Raven called the second 'match'. "Begin!"


	13. Survival of the Fittest

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 13: Survival of the Fittest

The 'match' between Crane and Marron had just begun. Crane's mechanical gloves or rather gauntlets unleashed a barrage of punches with no intention of stopping.

However, Marron seemed to have the same idea as he did the same thing.

Fist connected with fist and it was quite impressive to watch.

Madara had walked back over to the group as he sat on the group. Raven glanced at him and back over to Fen only to look back to him.

She would question him later, but no was not the time.

" _Man…his armour can take a beating._ " Crane thought. " _No matter how much faster I am his armour will just block most of the hits._ "

" _Then there is the fact his weapons are claws, unlike Cuckoo's claws where they are basically long blades on her hands, these act like real claws like crayfish, lobsters and crabs have._ " He continued his result as he used the fact he didn't wear armour to his advantage to dodge a few hits. " _But that means, it slows him down. He's a hard hitter, but a slow mover!_ "

Marron was bigger than Crane, but that didn't stop the hidden faunus from stopping in any sort of way.

The enemy faunus opened the claw somewhat and went for a slash. " _I can't get caught by those blades._ " Crane thought. " _Those blades would crush into me._ "

The two continued and it seemed the Marron had gotten the upper hand due to the lack of armour Crane had.

Crane then threw his right fist into the ground as it collided with the ground and with superb strength, the ground underneath the two cracked causing an off balance.

Crane took this opportunity to unleash a barrage of unrelenting fists at Marron, aiming for the head when he could.

On the dorsal side of his mechanical gauntlets in the middle, the colour of a circle changed to that of red from the grey colour it once had.

Now, this time when he punched the enemy faunus, the spectators could see flames.

Crane threw fist after fist as they were literally on fire. The hits connected with Marron's abdomen before a sudden uppercut to his face. Once the fist landed, Crane expected for Marron's head to fly off…however, Marron slowly tilted his head down to look down at Crane.

His head…had changed into black steel.

"This is my semblance, Steel Body." Marron made a swipe with his claw as Crane had jumped back. "It allows me to cover any part of my body in steel."

"…" Crane brought his fists up. " _Then why use those claws when you can make your hands steel?_ "

Marron lunged forward as Crane kept his fists up and blocked the oncoming barrage from Marron.

Marron changed from punches to grabs when he could.

Crane's head reeled back from a swift jab before Marron's claw smashed into the ground.

Crane had gotten away just in time before he pointed both of the closed mechanical gauntlets at Marron. On the dorsal side where the dust colour was, it lifted slightly before it shot out a bunch of paper.

Marron put his arms up into his a cross as he prepared to block the barrage of paper. "Trying to give me a paper cut?"

Marron's eyes widened as the paper circled around him rather than attack him directly. Soon the when the papers stopped spinning…they took the form of paper cranes.

"One thousand and I can make a wish." Crane said as the paper cranes floated in the air.

"…Your semblance…is paper manipulation?"

Marron brought up his claw to block an attack just as Crane sucker punched him. However, it seemed he kept his steel body up.

The two got back into their boxing match, but this time, the paper cranes flew past his face.

"Damn paper birds!" Due to this Marron's distractions, Crane landed more hits than before.

" _Damn it, because of his steel semblance, my attacks are weaker now…guess I have to use that and get some good hits it._ "

Crane's fists hit the abdomen of the faunus sending him back a bit before his paper cranes flew around faster than before.

Marron raised his fist before it stopped as one of the paper cranes unfolded and wrapped itself around his arm. The crayfish faunus looked at his body was the thousand paper cranes covered his body, restraining his movements.

"I…can't move?" the faunus looked at Crane. "How…?"

"Doesn't matter!" the other faunus said as the dorsal side of his gloves changed to lightning dust.

Sparks flew off the gauntlets before he sent another combo at the restricted Marron.

" _I…I can feel it…_ " Marron thought as his steel body covered his face.

"Wrong move!" the attacker shouted. "Steel conducts electricity."

Marron's whole body was currently acting as a conductor for said electricity. "It doesn't matter if I don't have enough power to break through your semblance, but you can't keep it up can you?!"

Soon Marron moved his arm free of the paper and when he slammed it down, Crane was on his weapon.

The two fists slammed into the side of his head. One was fire dust and the other was lightning dust.

Once the fists removed themselves after the powerful strike, the steel body went down.

"… _I couldn't keep it up…any longer…_ " he thought as he saw the fist of Crane approach his face. " _I've…lost…_ "

Marron's head went back as he was slammed into the ground…dead.

Crane had won.

"…" Gris watched as Crane walked back while the body of Marron was moved from the battlefield. "…"

"…Hm?" Raven looked at her son, while he watched the fight he was more focused on the people on the sidelines.

Gris turned his head to the side. "Zongse…" that was all he said as the mask wearing walked towards the field.

"…Auk."

Auk carried her staff as she entered onto the field.

"Begin." Gris called out as Auk held her staff in a defensive stance as Zongse's hand trailed down the mask with a brief look towards Marron.

"You were close to him?"

Zongse turned to face his opponent and nodded. "He gave me this mask." He said softly that only Auk could hear. "I shall avenge him."

Then, from his back, she saw.

From his back were eight white arms with a golden glow.

Then the eight arms attacked. One after another in the form of a palm hit.

Auk brought up her staff as she went on the defensive as she tried to block the oncoming strikes from Zongse's semblance.

" _You're a close range fighter, and they thought I was too._ " Zongse thought as he kept his guard up while sending palm after palm. " _My semblance, Transcendence, will do the job._ "

While the arms that came out of his back were the same length as his own, they could definitely extend to reach a target and some can be used for defence!

Zongse kept the attack up as his transcendence eight fists hurled towards Auk.

Auk used her staff to try and block some of the attacks, most of them hit her.

" _My 'Eight Crushing Palms' will end you before you do any damage!_ " he thought as he kept the attack up.

" _Damn it. I can't get close to him!_ " Auk thought as she started rolling to the side as the fists chased her.

She got to her feet as she ran from the chasing fits as some of the fists tried to block her off ahead.

Slamming her staff into the ground, she pole vaulted over the oncoming fists.

While she was in the air, six palms came towards her while the two remaining arms stayed by Zongse for defensive purposes. Auk spun around while spinning her staff around.

Due to spinning at ferocious speeds, she looked like a small tornado. " _She can control her movements while spinning like that?!_ " Zongse thought as he watched as Auk came closer towards him.

She could indeed control her movements like she was doing now.

Zongse jumped out of the way as Auk passed him leaving a trail of her own self made tornado. Zongse eyes widened behind his wooden mask as Auk easily tore through a thick tree.

Zongse went of the defence as he focused on getting away from Auk who moved like a flying snake.

Eight of his semblance arms touched the ground as he used them to jump over Auk before sending punches that were sadly deflected.

"… _I see now! A head on attack is necessary!_ "

Zongse waited for Auk to approach him before sending four of his arms to block the oncoming attack and slowing her down as he used the other four to attack.

Auk had stopped spinning abruptly as she was held by her legs and arms by four of the arms as the other four continuously punched her.

Auk coughed up blood from the last punch as she was dropped to the ground. "You are not my target, but this is my only chance." Zongse said to himself.

Auk was on all fours as the eight arms attacked once more. She suddenly slammed some dust into the ground as a wall made of earth sprang up blocking the head on assault.

"Then I'll just go around." Four arms on the left and right, attacked from the left and right, a pincer attack.

However those arms where blocked by more earth walls made from earth dust.

Zongse redirect his attack to behind and above…only to encounter more earth walls or rather an earth roof and wall.

"…She trapped herself inside the earth cube…no matter…" Zongse's eight heavenly fists attacked the front wall. "I'll just break through it!"

The wall cracked and soon enough it broke…to reveal another wall. "You are just trapping yourself now." Zongse mumbled disappointedly as he broke through another wall.

They were starting to get harder to break through. But the end result was the same, broken to reveal another wall.

He pulled his eight arms back before sending them one last time at yet another earth wall.

The earth cube crumbled as the ground beneath him broke as a staff came from the ground hitting him in the chin and sending him to the sky.

Auk broke through the earth as he sent her staff into the stomach of her opponent and slammed him into the ground where then slammed her weapon once more into him.

Two of the arms easily got her off of him as he sat up.

He glanced in the direction of his opponent. He stood up as is eight arms covered him to block the attacks Auk sent at him with her staff.

" _I'm getting annoyed._ " He thought as soon his eight arms changed from their golden glow to a red glow.

"His semblance still has more?" Auk wandered before the arms moved faster and packed more of a punch now.

Auk kept a grip on her weapon as soon she was overwhelmed by the attacks. She needed a way to defeat him quickly…or else…she would lose.

However she noticed something when she was knocked around…

She tried to dodge most of the now red glow white arms. However it seemed she couldn't dodge most of them.

That was when Zongse attacked with all eight closed fists instead of palms at her.

Auk held up her staff as she hit the back of a tree while the eight fists kept coming, they had some range, but it forced Zongse to get closer…he had a set range.

Auk smirked as she jumped back before holding up her staff.

" _I'll finish this now._ " Zongse thought. " _All eight at once!_ " all eight palms turned into fists as they lashed out as the user walked closer, getting into proper range.

Then suddenly…her staff extended.

Zongse was caught unaware by the extended weapon before he was sent into one of the ransacked buildings as the staff kept extending.

Zongse's grabbed the staff before he coughed up blood under the wooden mask Marron gave him. His eight arms assisted in pushing the staff back as he saw…a blade appear from the end of the staff.

"So this weapon…has hidden blades?" he asked before he coughed again as the eight arms from his semblance disappeared as the staff with its blade pierced him again as he smashed through the wall into another one.

Zongse's arms went limp as he mustered the rest of the strength to look over towards where Marron's body was.

"I-I'm sorry…old friend…" he muttered as his eyes grew weary. "It looks…like…I couldn't….ave…nge…yo-"

Zongse died there as a tear dropped from under the mask.

The staff retracted as the blade retracted as well. Auk walked off the field as she sent one last look to Zongse…

…Maybe…she shouldn't have killed him…

Madara took his mask off and placed it next to him. Everyone else would be focused on the fights so the enemy wouldn't be able to spend time to look at him.

" _Now, there is only two left._ " Madara thought as pulled something out of his pocket. "…"

"…Sarcelle." Gris said with no emotion.

Sarcelle looked at her leader. "But-"

"It's just the two of us now." He said with his arms folded. "Go out there and fight."

"Yes sir."

Sarcelle began to walk to the field as she held her weapon in her hand.

"Plover, it seems your up." Raven said as she too had her arms crossed.

Plover only smiled in response. "Ah, this should be enjoyable."

Once the two were on the battlefield with their weapons, the fighting began. "BEGIN!" Raven called out.

She was actually excited for her fight. Usually, she didn't care about fighting too much compared to her son, who seemed to find 'some' interest in it, almost relishing in it…almost.

It seemed while her son has picked up on some of her habits, it seemed she had picked up some of his.

While Plover had her eight tomoe drums in the form of a circle behind her, her opponent Sarcelle's weapon was…a simply folding fan.

" _A folding fan?_ " thought Plover. " _Oh well._ "

Using her weapon, she shot a line of lightning towards her opponent…that then swung her fan towards her.

Lightning clashed against wind.

" _Her weapon utilizes the wind?_ " she thought before shooting another bolt of lightning, and getting the exact same result.

This time she fired her lightning to move around and attack Sarcelle from the side.

However, it seemed that she had the same idea before both jumped back from their attacks.

Their clashes continued for a while as the tribe and Gris watched on.

"You reckon, Plover is going to be fine?" Auk asked as she was still recovering from her fight with Zongse.

"Yes." Madara replied. "We have won three of those 'victories' already…and Sarcelle is not skilled enough to defeat Plover."

"How do you know this?" Raven asked her child while keeping her eyes focused on the fight.

"My Sharingan can let me see aura, that also includes how big ones aura is too." He said before he used some eye drops on his eyes from what he got from his pocket. "I used too much of my aura into making that illusion…" he grumbled.

"Compared to Gris, her aura isn't that big of a threat. Compared to Plover, she has lower reserves of aura." He continued. "And while aura doesn't measure skill and combat talent, it does mean that her aura shield and minor wound regeneration, as well as use of semblance, will go down faster."

"It's just a matter of time for Plover…but, the only disadvantage she has…is that her lightning attacks…are negated by the wind attacks."

Plover started to fire more lightning bolts at once as Sarcelle jumped to the sides…as if she was carried by the wind while sending wind waves at the lightning user.

It was then, Sarcelle pulled out a second fan.

She started to send twice as many wind waves at Plover.

Plover gathered her aura before she used her semblance along with her weapon. Lightning circled around her before one bolt went into the sky and the larger bolt came around in the form of an eastern dragon.

Sarcelle stopped using her fans separately before using both of the fans to create an eastern dragon as well, the only difference was that this lacked 'whiskers' and was made of wind.

Plover moved her dragon around the dragon of wind as said dragon also started coiling around the dragon of lightning.

Soon the two heads glared at each other before a head on collision occurred, but the dragon of wind had wrapped around the head of the dragon of lightning.

The dragon of lightning managed to break free and head towards the holding fan user, before she swung her fans as the wind dragon moved the lightning dragon out of the way and destroying both of them.

Plover panted at the use of her semblance, lightning manipulation. "You have wind manipulation." She said as she looked at Sarcelle.

"And you have lightning manipulation." She allowed a smirk to appear. She made a cross with her arms before she made a power swing with both arms as two tornadoes appeared.

"It seems your semblance is too taxing." The wind user said as she kept her two tornadoes in check. "It ends her for you!" she then sent the two waves of tornadoes towards Plover over the distance of the battlefield.

Plover smirked as she watched the large tornadoes towards her. The tribe watched as the tornadoes got closer to Plover, they seemed unaffected…with Madara, Raven and Gris were simply or seemingly unaffected.

" _Why is she smirking?_ " wondered the fan holder and conjurer of tornadoes. She sped up her tornadoes before Plover raised both hands.

"You thought this was your end, but this is truly your end!" the lighting user said before the bolt launched into the sky came down…much, much larger than before.

" _My semblance was only taxing because I was fuelling the bolt I shot earlier._ " She thought before she saw Sarcelle look up as her arms fell to her sides.

That was one large bolt…in the shape of a dragon.

Sarcelle broke out of her shock as she used her semblance of manipulating wind to stop the large bolt of lightning.

Her wind would stop it!

The tornadoes cover Sarcelle as the large lightning dragon hit the top of the two tornadoes.

Sarcelle's eyes widened in horror as she watched as her twin tornadoes broke apart. " _What?!_ " she thought as the large bolt of lightning struck her down.

" _While lightning isn't good against wind, but at the same time, lightning can potentially surpass the penetrative force of wind by increasing the vibration frequency high enough._ " Plover thought as she dusted off her kimono.

After the lightning stopped shocking Sarcelle, the fan user fell to her knees and on to the ground face first.

Gris watched as his last warrior.

It was all down to him. The last one standing!

Gris flexed his hand, moving his fingers before forming a fist. " _Yes…this will do…_ " he thought. " _They all proved strong so far…their leader must be strong too. She has to be!_ "

Gris walked down towards the now empty field as Sarcelle's corpse was moved. His heart started to beat faster and faster.

He was full of excitement and thrill!

Before Raven walked to fight Gris, she looked towards her son. "Something on your mind?" she asked.

"Obviously." He held his mask in his arm as he stood up. "I tell you after the fight, but…just be careful."

Raven raised an eyebrow behind her mask. This was unusually for him.

"While you'll win, he's not a pushover." He told her. "Remember when I said his aura was big compared to Plover's opponent? Well, it's big enough to be a threat."

Madara gave his mother a serious look. "Don't underestimate him, nor let your guard down."

"It feels like I'm talking to myself." Raven said as she placed her hand on her odachi, ready to draw it from its sheath.

Gris stood opposite of Raven with his arms crossed.

"You're strong." He said before they fought. "Compared to others, I can sense your power…and your youngest member too. You're both strong!"

"You can sense our aura? Is that your semblance?"

"Somewhat." He replied. "The strong attract strong, and the strong have their pride."

Raven narrowed her eyes at what he was saying; it was like he was suddenly a different person, slightly. "The strong survive and the weak die, that is the way of this world, the death of my comrades just prove that theory. You also believe in the same ideology right?"

"The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules." She said and yes, she did believe in the same ideals of Gris.

Gris grinned. "I knew it." He said softly before his body shook. "Perfect."

He looked from the ground and back to Raven, who waited for him to get into a fighting stance. "I shall tell you the name of my semblance. It's called Dragon Soul." He told her. "It also allowed me to sense you and Madara's strength. While that isn't the main application of the semblance, a dragon's pride and strength can also show me our potential fighters to test my strength against."

Gris then grinned.

"Come. Give stimulation to my existence!"

Then the hilt of Raven's odachi slammed into Gris' stomach sending him back a bit.

Bending his knees slightly he sprung forward fast, Raven followed suit as she sprung forward.

Through all these fights, Madara had his Sharingan activated, and with how they were moving now, it was perfect to use to watch the fight.

Raven kept pulling out her odachi from her sheath but not all the way resulting in a quick draw hilt attack that clashed against Gris' palm which seemed to be in a grapple or claw.

The two dashed around trying to get the upper hand on each other, however Raven refused to fully draw her sword out and only drew it partially out as the hilt connected with Gris' palms.

The same action happened multiple times as the connected as they moved around the arena. However, while the attacks remained the same, they started to get more powerful as small shockwaves were sent out once the two attacks collided.

Gris went from a single attack to two attacks with both fists. His fists collided with the hilt of Raven's sword as they continued their fight.

Raven tilted her body as she drew her sword once more as her hilt landed in Gris' stomach for a second time and sent him through one of the ransacked houses as Raven followed suit.

Gris landed on the wall with his feet as he pushed off the wall towards where Raven entered after him.

…Only to see no one in his line of sight.

Dropping from above and behind the leader of the previous four contestants, Raven appeared as she drew her sword fully as she slashed him in the back.

And due to his aura, it was the wound recovered, but it looked more like getting him by a baseball bat.

Gris flew into a wall of a different house before a foot kicked his back through the wall.

Raven entered the house as she used wind dust on her odachi and swung the sword as Gris recovered and dropped to the ground.

The use of the wind dust had cut the building horizontally in half causing the building to fall down upon itself.

Raven stood in front of the house as she sheathed her odachi briefly and was prepared to bring it out again.

Just then, Gris burst from the house wreckage and straight into the sky before he landed on the destroyed building.

Raven pulled out her odachi as it was covered in both fire and wind dust, strengthening the fire dust.

Gris landed on the ground in front of her as she had raised her sword up and swung it down, creating a large ball of fire that with incredible speed headed towards Gris.

Gris crossed his arms as he prepared for the attack from Raven and was soon engulfed, his aura working on keeping him safe during the attack.

He then saw a spark within the flames before it collided into him before the flames broke apart with lightning adding itself to the mix as he was shot out of the large and powerful attack.

Gris then found himself being sent backwards as he spun.

" _Yes, this rush! The feeling of adrenaline!_ " he grinned as he flipped backwards and landed elegantly on the ground opposing Raven who seemed to be waiting for him. " _This is what I was searching for_!"

"Time to activate, Dragon Soul!" he grinned with a glint in his eyes.

Gris was then covered in a transparent purple aura that surrounded his whole body and the shape of a dragon's head appeared and covered both of his fists.

The two purple dragon heads of Gris' fists clashed one after another into Raven's odachi. Raven blocked each fist after fist before she slashed causing the grey haired man to jump away onto one of the building's roofs.

"This is the fight…I've been searching for!" he said before Raven had disappeared from his sight to behind him.

Gris ducked as the sword flew above him before his elbow went to hit Raven in the stomach, only to be blocked by a hand.

They took this opportunity to get some distance, wary of each other's abilities. Gris landed on the field as Raven landed on a nearby tree.

The user of Dragon Soul held up his fist before the dragon head was shot leaving the 'body' of the dragon connected to his fist.

Gris then shot the second arm as Raven dodged and cut the first to no effect. "So it can't be cut off." She mused before dodging the second one as both heads chased her.

Gris jumped towards her as his two dragon heads easily broke through tree branched to get to her. The two heads bit onto a branch as he swung him towards her before slamming both feet into the ground in front of her.

Two engaged once more in hand to hand combat or rather hand-to-sword combat.

Rven skilfully moved her sword as it connected with the blows Gris was dishing out. Gris' dragon fists connected with Raven who moved quite fast in order to keep up with Gris' dragon punches.

Gris grinned as he started to add kicks to the mix. It was getting harder for Raven to keep up with as before he basically surrounded her by himself and landed hit after hit before Raven spat out a dust crystal before it exploded.

In the explosion, the trees around them had blown apart due to the force of the dust's effects and even a nearby house was taken out too.

Raven had swung her red bladed odachi as Gris felt an immense amount of pain.

As the clearing disappeared, he saw raven holding her odachi and could feel her eyes looking at him and then he looked at his arm.

…there wasn't one…

"Are you done?" Raven asked as she cut off his left arm from just above the elbow.

Gris then slammed his feet into the ground as his purple aura from his semblance gathered around him. His aura flared and formed that of a dome as Raven could feel him grow stronger.

Now Gris' skin was the same colour of his Dragon Soul semblance, purple. He also had white markings on his torso and arms as he lunged forward with incredible speed.

"This is my trump card!" he shouted before his fist found its way into Raven's stomach before it sent her high into the sky as he jumped after her and kicked her back down.

As Raven fell to the ground, she pulled out a small crystal and broke it as it released a thick fog of steam.

Gris shot through the steam and landed where Raven was supposed to land.

Through the heavy steam behind him, he saw a silhouette and swung his remaining arm through the steam as the silhouette was torn in half from the attack.

As this happened as sword slashed his back.

"…You're teleporting!" Gris begun to spun with his newfound increased speed and strength and blew the smoke away.

"You're right." Raven confirmed. "But it isn't teleportation."

Gris panted as she raised her sword. "It also seems like your trump card has some side effects, straining your body?"

"Something like that!" he said as he lunged forward as Raven jumped back into a dark red portal than disappeared as soon as she jumped back into it.

Gris stopped as he swung his arm back as a portal closed behind him.

He stared with wide eyes as he watched multiple portals surround him as Raven jumped from portal to portal, opening and closing as she entered them.

"You make portals!" he eyes darted from portal to portal to catch up. He then got back into his powering up stance as he called upon his trump card for a second time. "This is the first time I'm using my trump card for a second time!"

"Draconic Burst!" he used his trump card again as he put more strain on his body. He was now fast enough to catch up and go through the multiple portals after Raven.

Now they clashed, in between her portals, all the while the portals closed behind them.

"Trying to trap me in here?" he asked as he sped up when she boosted herself with wind dust to the exit point of the dark red portal.

Raven had made in through the portal as it grew too small to fit through…until Gris shoved his hand in the portal and forced it open.

He landed on the ground before he froze for a split of a second before he panted. " _If I continue using my trump card, Draconic Burst…I don't think I'll survive…it pushes me past my limits and the strain on my body is too great now that I used it for a second time…I reckon I only have enough time to use it for a third time before my body breaks down._ "

Gris lifted his fist as he the shape of a dragon head appeared, but the body coiled around his arm.

Raven who stood in front of him raised odachi, she could tell. He only had enough for a final attack with his semblance but could still fight on afterwards…but if he used his trump card for a third time…she'd be in trouble.

The dragon's head was much bigger then last time as he shot forward ready to kill his opponent. Even if that meant, throwing away his life.

Raven's odachi came to life as her aura surrounded the blade as the use of wind and lightning dust was added to her blade for increased cutting and piercing power.

She too shot forward with the intention of ending the fight before he could use Draconic Burst for a third time.

The two attacks collided as a giant shockwave blew the wreckages of the houses away and caused the trees to bend back.

Then…it all went white.

From close up, it was like an approaching wave and flashbang. From a distance, it looked like a growing dome of white light.

The powerful attacked ended as Gris panted heavily as he struggled to get off one knee. He stood on two feet as he saw the feet marks where Raven stood.

He froze as blood trickled from his mouth and onto the dirt below.

Gris saw as he was stabbed through the heart from behind as he fell to his knees after the owner of the odachi redrew her sword.

She had used her portal at the last minute and stabbed him from behind. He fought he had won, but it turned out, she was stronger.

The strong always won in the end.

As he fell to the ground with a smile, he flipped himself over to look at his fighter, the smile no longer there as he began to talk seriously to his killer.

"You won…you are stronger…" he said before looking over towards Madara. "But…I wonder…who is stronger?"

Raven raised an eyebrow at Gris' words and before she could follow him eyes, he spoke again. "At least I got to go out the way I wanted to go out…but…I can't help but feel…disappointed…"

"Disappointed?"

"Yes…you…while you're strong…throughout our fight…I could sense….someone…something…stronger." he got out. "I'm glad we fought…but I…wished I could…fight the other one…"

She saw how Gris' eyes now held a hint of regret and want. He wanted to fight someone stronger…

He knew Raven was stronger, this fight proved it. But, there was always someone stronger.

Always!

"But…I guess I'm free now…" he said weakly as he looked at his hand before it dropped onto his chest.

Gris, the leader of the warring tribe, died.

Raven had walked back from her victory against Gris, who now lied dead on the floor.

"So what did you want to tell me?" Raven asked.

"…It's about our opponents. They were weaker than what they should have been." Her son said.

"Explain."

"When I saw their aura, I saw a second aura mixed in." he told her. "Much bigger than those others we killed."

He then looked at as he walked away. "Get me a bucket of water."

* * *

Nightmares…were pretty terrible.

A nightmare about being stabbed by a monster that wasn't Grimm was just as bad.

Eyes sprang open as water collided with a face and then, they sprang up like they awoken from said nightmare.

Fen breathed deeply as she still remembered that 'thing' that stabbed her what seemed to be endlessly.

She looked around as she saw the person who 'killed' her but without his helmet or mask.

"Wha…?"

"I see your awake." He said as he brandished one of Caracara's kunai.

"I-I died."

"No, I just put too much into a…what you call a nightmare."

She tried to move her hands…she couldn't.

She looked down at her hands to see what has been done to them. They were wrapped up. She could feel her fingers but…

"That should stop your semblance." He said.

She turned to him with wide eyes as he continued. "You did a decent job at hiding your semblances true application." He said. "And I mean the use of decent loosely."

He then gave her a small smirk. "Your semblance isn't shooting energy spheres from your fingers or hands, but rather shooting Control Shots that when it hits your enemies, they are put under your control."

Fen's face paled as he still continued. "It was quite obvious actually." He told her as he sharpened the kunai. "First was with what you said. 'A waste of a semblance', I believe you said."

"That was the fist clue to your controlling semblance." He then stabbed the kunai into the ground making her flinch. "Then Marron said that they will find more for you to control."

"Yeah, it was obvious you had a controlling semblance." He grinned at her fear. "When you shot your control shots, I saw that they didn't leave any damage against the trees and if they did, they were miniscule."

"However, I have a way that allows me to see aura, and I saw your aura in the four you were with."

It was then Fen thought she was going to die.

"You weren't just on of Gris' followers in that group. You were the leader." She gulped as she could only listen. "However, your control over them wavered during the rest of the fights, which is why you thought you went first."

"You wanted to control me."

"But, because I knocked you out with that 'nightmare' the other four were still under your control and continued with your last command while still believing that had 'free will', but it seemed that as the fights continued, they begun to break free and assume their original personalities."

"Especially when Gris went from calm to a death seeker." He looked at her curiously. "You controlled Gris, Zongse, Sarcelle and Marron…why? And what's your semblance even called?"

"Control Shot." She said before she closed her mouth.

Madara seemed to snicker. "Don't worry, you'll tell me anything, even if I ask you something personal."

"How?" she asked with what she could muster out.

"Truth serum." The dull response echoed through her mind. "I don't think we needed it seeing how you are now, but it seemed some didn't want to take chances."

"But back to my question. Why did you control them?" he asked. "Was it for personal use? Was it to have a place to belong? Or perhaps feel strong?"

"P-Personal use…and to feel strong…"

Fen couldn't believe that she was telling him the truth. Damn serum.

"I also noticed that once you went down into the land of unconsciousness, and I assume death would be the same, that your control wavered and because of that, they got weaker."

" _Weaker?_ " Fen thought.

Seeing the look on her face he nodded. "Yes, weaker." He said ignoring her look that thought he read her mind. "Because of your control, they kept their strength, but when you went down, your controlling aura was still there, but their aura was also trying to expel your aura once your control was let go."

"They were unconsciously fighting for their control back, and Gris almost did since he was the last one standing." He picked up the kunai. "Your aura and semblance inside them, made them weaker when you blacked out…you controlled them for your own gain and now, they are dead thanks to you."

" _When I lost consciousness…they wrestled control from my semblance?_ " Fen thought as a chill ran up her spine. " _I thought my semblance was perfect? My control wavered and made them weaker…and he…found out so easily…_ "

It was a lot to take in.

"I see." Raven said. "So you were right in the end."

Fen turned her head to see Raven leaning against one of the ruined buildings.

Her mouth hanged open before tuning to Madara.

And there was an energy sphere in it. The sphere grew slightly but as fast she conjured it up, her mouth slammed shut thanks to Madara closing her jaw.

"Ah, you can use your semblance not only from your hands but also from your mouth?" he asked. "I wasn't expecting that."

She tried to mumble out some words, but it wasn't working.

"You released your semblance right? I wonder what would happen if you were hit by your own semblance? Will you be immune or will you be effected as well?"

Before testing could ensue and Fen's growing fear, Raven spoke. "So what are you going to do with her now? Kill her or let her join the tribe?"

Raven knew the answer her son would choose. She just wanted to hear it from him.

"Kill her." The hope in Fen disappeared immediately. "Letting her join the tribe is too dangerous seeing as she could just control us like she did with the other four."

She started to mumble loudly as she struggled to move. It seemed her legs were tied up too.

Fen found herself turned around to see a dug out grave just waiting for her...and there were two on each side covered with dirt.

"This is your fate." The mother and son said.

"May you be haunted by these four in the life beyond this plane." The son said brandishing the kunai from before and slitting the throat of Fen.

He had turned her around and pushed her as her body into her grave.

Madara waved his hand as then dirt covered the woman.

"It seems that's over." Madara said as only his eyes glanced to his mother who now had her helmet off and was held in her hands. "You should have pride as you fought the real Gris in the end."

"Hmm, maybe, but he was still weaker thanks to her control."

"Oh? But even thought, he was still pretty strong regardless." Her son said with a sly smile. "Who knows, maybe you would have been defeated if he did the Draconic Burst a third time."

"…Who did you get your humour from?" she asked with a twitching eye.

"You, obviously." He told her truthfully. "But, he was very close to breaking free. She must have been skilled to control him."

"How skilled will you say?"

"Depends on how many she controlled at a given time." He waved his hand slightly in a non-important manner. "The day she learnt of her semblance is also a factor too."

He then pulled his scroll out as his normal red eyes glazed over the scroll. "I'll call the others over."

Madara sent a text to Passerine for a pick up before glancing back at his mother. "Something on your mind?" he asked.

"…it's nothing." She replied.

"I highly doubt that."

Raven allowed a small smirk to appear on her face. "Just thinking of another 'training' method for you." She told him as they waited for the pick up.

"Of course you are." He sighed. "You're always thinking of ways to get me stronger."

"But of course, it's a mother's job to make sure her child is growing up correctly." She told him as they approached the dark red bullhead that landed.

"…I guess your right." He said, but over than that, he said silent.

"I'm always right."

"Don't get to high and mighty…"

* * *

The trip of the bullhead was relatively peaceful.

"It's a shame those houses were destroyed." Plover said as Raven continued to look down at the ground below.

She kinda destroyed said houses in her fight.

"We'll just find another house to crash in!" Swan said with his usual grin.

"We do have some lien on us…" Heron brought up.

"But then we'll lose the bullhead." Swallow said from the pilot's seat. "Sure, normal civilians won't go after it, but crooks and those in the Atlesian military would."

"Don't forget the White Fang." The faunus Turaco said. "They would want a bullhead too."

"Especially since we, as in Madara, Auk and Grouse, basically high jacked the bullhead from them and painted it dark red."

"Madara and I didn't paint it." Auk said defensively. "Grouse was the one who painted it!"

"Hey!" Grouse said from the cockpit.

Meanwhile Madara was standing next to his mother as Garuda remained on his shoulder.

"So…what type of training did you plan?" he asked. "Also, when will it occur?"

She looked at her child and back to the scenery. "I got the training planned out for you…but you might not be ready yet."

He actually blinked at that one. "Not ready?" he asked.

She nodded. "If you do it now, then the effects of the training won't be as effective."

"Then what do I do in the meantime then?"

"Until I deem you worthy of taking this challenge, which will come as a surprise, you will continue with your usually routine and focus on teamwork with all members of the tribe."

"You can even train with one if you wish."

As Raven said that, Madara knew which one he wanted to train against.

Raven turned away from her child as she smirked. It seemed he had the perfect person in mind, and there was a few to choose from within the tribe.

But she knew exactly who he'd choose out of all of them.

It was quite obvious.

" _He might be ready for the 'training' yet, but once he is…it will definitely be worth it!_ " She thought. " _It depends on how fast he reaches that point though…maybe a month or maybe even a year from now, it all depends on him._ "

In the end, it would all be worth it.


	14. The Maiden Festival

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 14: The Maiden Festival

Madara huffed as he leaned against a tree on the ground. When he thought of choosing his training partner…well, let's just say they were still very, very powerful.

"Is that enough for today?" his partner asked.

"No." Madara placed his ripple tomoe mask back on. "I'm not done yet."

"Hoho, then prepare thy self!"

Madara then engaged with a fist fight with the old leader of the tribe, Potoo.

…It wasn't really in Madara's favour…

Potoo even allowed Madara to use his Sharingan briefly for their fists fights, but sometimes seeing oncoming attacks didn't mean that he could effortlessly dodge them.

There was a reason that Potoo lived this long.

He was strong.

The strong live, as the weak die.

It was a universal rule of the world, especially to some more than others. Some didn't like to think like that, but that was the same as closing your eyes as you try to forget what you saw.

Potoo didn't have a weapon and simply relied on his fists. He was that strong and his semblance just made him stronger.

Sure he lost a bit of his touch in old age, but the fact he was here as an old man proved how strong he was.

He was a survivor.

A palm hit Madara's stomach as the younger went for a headbutt. Potoo easily spun around and dodged the attack as Madara kicked his foot behind him.

Potoo grabbed Madara's leg with one hand and flipped him over.

The black haired teen landed on his back as the old man had his arms behind his back. "Hohoho, I say we shall call it a day." He smiled. "I mean, we've been at it for five hours."

"It's been two months since we started." Madara pointed out. "I don't feel any different."

"Then that's perfect!"

Madara deadpanned at the old man. "And how is that perfect if I can't tell how I've grown?" he asked. " _Have you finally gone senile?_ "

"Knowing how strong you get is fine, but when you can tell the difference is when it's working properly."

"…It's hard to follow."

"What I'm trying to say is, not knowing how strong you become will shine more brightly as soon as you discover how much you grew."

"…Yeah, I think I got the main gist." The user of the Sharingan said. "While I can tell how much stronger I can get, if I don't notice right away, later when I do it will be a bigger change from what I'm used to?"

"Yes!"

"…" Madara only sighed. " _Senile old man…_ "

"Well, we better get a move on."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"We're going on a training trip." The fossil said. "It will surely help."

Potoo walked off as Madara shortly followed.

Even if Madara hadn't noticed, he had made progress from two months ago. Sure, the display earlier may not have been much seeing as Madara only rested for about a minute before going again.

But progress was made.

He could now last longer against him than before. He was set on his long term goal of defeating him. He forgot to check the small time goal of lasting longer and beating his previous record.

"C'mon Madara. Let us be off!"

"Coming old man…"

* * *

The old man was in the front as Madara was walking behind him. They left a majority of their stuff back with the tribe.

Madara gave Garuda to Caracara to care for as well as his other stuff.

"So…is there a reason I couldn't bring my weapons?" he asked.

"While weapons can help you in fights, it's also a good idea for you to also not rely on your weapons." The fossil said as they walked. "The ability to defend yourself while defenceless is a good skill to have. Also having the skill to kill with your own hands is too."

While he could kill without using dust or weapons, Madara would choose a weapon then his fist.

However, he knew the importance of using CQC, he just found weapons and dust more effective.

He was no Potoo, but he could kill a man with his fists.

"Now let's continue!"

"…Where are we going?"

"On a training trip of course." The old man smiled.

"I know that, but where?"

"Where the road takes us!" the old man burst out laughing.

"…Seriously?"

Madara walked behind the cheerful old man as they went on their 'training trip'.

* * *

The two walked side by side as they approached a town.

"Remember Madara, when we enter, we leave the bandit nature behind." Potoo told him. "If needed, we'll use that mercenary group you made us to the public eye."

"I know, I know." The youngster said as they continued on their way while holding his mask in his hand.

The two walked into the town without any problems.

"Hm, how about we go get something to bite."

"…Sure." Madara nodded as he walked to get some food with Potoo right behind him who sighed.

" _You need to learn how to lighten up Madara._ " He thought as he looked at the young man. " _Your like a grandson to an old man like me. Sure, for the best of the tribe is good and all, it's nothing if you can't enjoy life._ "

"Are you coming old man?"

"Yes, yes, don't rush these old bones."

"Hn, sure."

"There are quite the lot of restaurants and stands." The old geezer looked around. "What do you recommend?"

"Inarizushi." He immediately answered.

"And what if they don't have it?" Potoo asked. "Let's just go to that small stand there."

Madara looked in the direction Potoo was pointing. "A…noodle stand?" he asked.

Potoo nodded as he already walked over with Madara in pursuit. They lifted the banner and took the two seats they saw.

When they sat on the seats, the chef greeted them. "Welcome!" he said as he walked over. "Oh? I haven't seen you two before, you guys from out of town?"

Madara nodded.

"Yes, me and my grandson here were actually passing through and stopped for a bite." Potoo said.

"Ah, it must be nice to travel." The chef said. "But, might I ask, isn't it a bit dangerous for just the two of you?"

"Hohoho, no, no." the elderly man waved. "We can manage just fine."

"Forgive me. I just realized you came here to eat. What would you like?"

"I'll go for the recommended." Madara said.

"I'll take the same, but with a side of tempura." The chef nodded before he went to go make their meals.

Shortly two bowls of noodles were placed in front of them as Madara paid for the meal.

"Hm, this is good." The old tribe leader said.

"…Yeah."

"Oh, Madara, have some of the tempura!"

"Oi, don't shove it at me…"

Potoo smiled as he watched the teen he considered to be like a grandson.

He was enjoying the meal the chef provided for them, which was good. A very good thing indeed!

"Are you two perhaps staying?" the chef asked. "I ask because today is actually the Flower Festival."

"…Flower Festival?" Madara asked as he looked up from his bowl.

The chef nodded. "Yep. The Flower Festival happens once a year and it starts tonight. I recommend staying. It's a sight to see."

"Hohoho, it seems we came to this town at the perfect time."

"Seems like it."

"It looks like we're staying." Potoo chuckled.

"Hahaha, that's good to hear." The chef laughed. "You'll love it!"

The two finished their meal as they left the noodle shop.

"We're staying for the festival?" Madara asked.

"Might as well. Life is not just about getting stronger, but also enjoying the small things!" Potoo said. "Besides, it will be a fun experience, and you should enjoy your youth."

They walked around town as saw the town get ready for the festival. "Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy yourself." He continued. "Maybe see someone who catches your eye."

"I doubt it."

"I don't know how long this would go on for, so let's get us a room."

"Wouldn't it be better to train during this time?"

"It would, but the festival is happening tonight, and who knows how long it will go for. Getting a room in advanced is the better option."

"Alright, let's find a place."

* * *

Potoo and Madara found an inn and booked a room for after the festival and were given a key to said room.

As they waited for the night of the festival, they practiced out in a field.

Punches connected with each other with one on the offensive and the other on the defensive.

Madara wore his mask made for battle as his Sharingan helped with Potoo's oncoming attacks.

In old age...he was still strong.

"Come on Madara, the festival is almost here."

Madara went for a high kick only to be flipped backwards. As he was flipping, he went for a second kick with his other foot.

He missed, but easily landed back on his feet.

"Ho? I see your taking on a new style."

The way Madara was standing was similar to how Cuckoo would fight without her claws. However, he couldn't implement her feet's combat style…seeing as her feet were her faunus feature.

Madara went forward to attack the old man once again. His arm and hand movements were smooth and fluid.

"Hohoho! You're getting better!" Potoo laughed. "But, you still have a way to go!"

"Yeah." The younger agreed. "Besides, you're not using your semblance."

"Semblances aren't everything." The older said. "Just because my semblance is powerful doesn't mean I'm unbeatable. There will be a time where someone would be able to defeat me regardless of my semblance."

"That's called time old man." Madara said. "It's known more commonly as old age."

The two continued the spar as the festival got closer and closer. Potoo gave Madara a break as he smiled.

" _Even though it is well hidden, he definitely has interest in the festival._ " He suppressed a chuckle. " _That's good. That's good. Events like these, while only happening once in a while, at least once a year, is a nice change of pace and good for youths like him._ "

He glanced up at the sky which had gained an orange glow due to the sunset. " _This festival should be good for him to enjoy his youth._ " He then released a sad sigh. " _He needs to enjoy this…even to this day I regret not taking in the joys of life until it was too late._ "

Shaking his head, he turned back to Madara.

"You did well, Madara." He said. "Now, lets get ready. The festival is about to begin."

* * *

It was night in the town they had visited, the street lamps lighted the way as many stands, stalls and people were about.

The cracked moon shined down below, added to the spirit of the festival.

"You should go and enjoy yourself, Madara." Potoo said.

"Oh? And what about you?" the Branwen asked. "Surely, you're not going to sit on that bench for the whole thing."

"No, no, no." the old fossil shook his head. "I'll join in later. Just go enjoy yourself, who knows who you'll meet."

Madara rolled his eyes as he walked into the crowd. Many people were dressed for the occasion, more so the women then men.

He pasted a few kimono wearing girls that had different patterns on them despite being the flower festival.

This went for everyone who dressed for the festival. The first was that of a flowery design, the second was snowflakes, the third was orange leaves and the fourth and final design was that of the sun.

They were the four seasons, well four representations of the seasons.

Red autumn leaves, or fall depending where in Remnant you lived.

Yellow summer sun, a combination of white and blue snowflakes, and finally a rainbow of colours for the spring flowers which were different per design of the kimono the girls wore.

Compared to the autumn leaves, snowflakes and the sun, the spring flower patterns was definitely more eye catching than the other three.

Madara had to admit the mood here was much better than what he was used to. He went around and tried a few of the festivities while he was there, for the sake of the old man.

He didn't want the old coot to nag his ear off…nor did he want the old coot to go as far to stop the training the two had started.

As Madara was more of an onlooker, he found a seat that overlooked the action as a four girls dressed in the four different patterned kimonos danced each holding a fan.

He wasn't seeing much of the flower in the flower festival unless you counted the flowered kimonos, food and drinks made with certain type of flowers, beautifully grown flowers from out of town being sold and the flowers in the various flowerbeds.

…Okay, maybe he could see why it was called the flower festival.

But what of the ones that were flowers?

"I see I wasn't the only one to come and escape the festivities." Madara turned his head to the side as his arms leaned on a railing.

The person who leaned their arms against the railing like his was a young woman a bit older than him.

She had a light brown complexion, with short, straight brown hair with a beauty mark below her left eye. She wore a long, green hooded cloak on top of an off-white blouse with a brown vest, corset and pants. She had a gold bracer on her left arm, two gold bracelets on her right wrist and a pair of golden armoured boots with a golden pauldron on her right shoulder as well as a shoulder strap with some pouches slung diagonally across her body.

It was her outfit that drew his interest. She was wearing an outfit that was more for battle than casual wear.

"I see you're not from here." She said.

"I can tell you're the same." He easily replied.

"Amber." She lifted a hand from the railing towards him.

He took her hand as he gave his own name. "Madara." He then relinquished his hand from the handshake.

"Enjoying the festival?"

"…I don't know. This is a first for me."

"This festival or a festival in general?" she asked.

"The latter." He said as he watched the four kimono girls' dance. "Never been to a festival before, but I'm confused to why there are things not related to flowers in the flower festival."

Amber just smiled as she pointed as the four dancers. "See those four dancers? The dance they're doing is called 'The Dance of the Four Seasons', a pretty popular dance that a lot of girls try to get in when the festival rolls around."

"Really? Why? It's just a dance isn't it?" he asked.

Amber sighed as her drooped. "Sadly, no." she said. "The…dance while important and tells of a story, became…more of a legend to some others."

"How so?" he tilted his head as she had a look of embarrassment on her face which he assumed was for the dancers.

"Since the four can only be girls, they say that if you manage to join the dance, you'll find your soulmate in the same season you danced in the cultural dance."

"Go figure."

"Yeah, but I assume that was just a marketing scheme to get more people into the dance or into the festival."

"So what is this festival really about?"

Amber smiled at that. "Glad you asked. This festival wasn't just known as the Flower Festival." She revealed. "It gained its name due to how many women favoured the spring flower designs and, well, look around at all the flowers and flower-themed stands."

"Yeah, I can see that…"

"It was originally called the Maiden Festival back in the day." She pointed back to the dancers. "The dancers each play the respecting seasons. Spring, summer, winter and fall, the four seasons and the dance is based around the old story-"

"The Story of the Seasons." They both said in sync.

Amber looked at Madara with slight shock. "You know that old story?" she asked as he nodded. "That 'fairy tale' is now a forgotten tale, it's quite amazing how you now of it."

"Fairy tale or not, it's apart of Remnant's history and should not be forgotten." He said. "They say that all myths, legends and fairy tales originate from somewhere, so why should this one be different?"

Madara missed the smile on Amber's face as she heard his words. "I got a question for you then!" she said. "If the legend does truly exist from the old story, what would you do?"

Only his eyes moved to look at her. "Nothing." He told her. "I can't do anything about the power the old man gave the four maidens, but if I knew a maiden I would protect them."

"Why would you protect them? Is it for personal gain or something else?"

"The maidens could help bring peace to this world. To stop this endless cycle of hatred that consumes us. Soon, we'll become the things we despise the most."

"Huh? I wasn't really expecting that answer." She admitted truthfully. "But it's better than what I thought you would say."

"And would I have said in your mind?"

"That you would find a way to harness the power of take control of each individual maiden." She bluntly said.

Madara's eyes looked back at the dance below as it came to an end. "Power is nothing without control, but power is also useless when you don't have a goal to strive towards." He said. "It's also pointless without willpower and desire to also reach your goals or even dreams, but in the end power is not will, it is a phenomenon of physically making things happen."

He titled his head up slightly to the cracked moon. "It doesn't mean that only a sort of power can reach your goal. As long as you have power, no matter what type it is, coupled with the strive and conviction to reach your goals, then it doesn't matter if you have the power that everyone else has or a power a select few are able to harness."

"So you're saying you could reach your goal without having the powers of one of the maidens?"

"I never really said that, but yes, I would."

"…You're quite interesting you know that."

"I wouldn't call myself interesting…"

"Nah, your pretty interesting." She said. "So…you would strive for peace?"

Madara nodded. "Peace…is not easily obtained."

"You got that right." She agreed. "And then there's the fact that peace might not last for long…"

She then tapped her chin. "I wonder how you'll make peace a reality. Perhaps showing people's true heart to one another?"

Madara shook his head. "That will not work, especially with the more violent faunus treatment and White Fang attacks." He said. "People cannot show each other their true feelings. Fear, suspicion, and resentment never subside."

"…Now that you mention it, we are a very violent race…" she gained a sad look on her face. "…Peace must be far off and possibly not in our time…seeing as we can only be violent with one another."

"Especially seeing as it's been eighty years, or roughly eighty years since we had a large war."

"Talking about peace whilst spilling blood, it's something only humans and faunus can do." He said. "Besides, we're both species that crave for war, no matter how pointless. I believe, this is just the calm before the storm."

"That's…very disheartening." She admitted.

"Let's talk about this maiden festival, we've been sidetracked and derailed."

Amber nodded at that. "So…what would you like to know?"

"You seem to know a lot about this…this is not your first time." He said as he turned his head to her. "You've been in the dance?"

A light pink tint covered her cheeks before she turned away. "…Yeah." She admitted. "I played the embodiment of fall."

"…Ah…"

"What's with that look on your face?!" she asked.

"Did you find your soulmate?" he asked with a small cheeky smirk that made her go red, red enough to pull her hood up.

"N-No! Besides it's just a damn scheme to make girls attend and try to join the dance!"

"Enough to get you to join the dance, right fall maiden." He smirked.

She gasped at him when she heard her nickname before she calmed down. He had to admit, her facial expression amused him. " _He couldn't have known…oh!_ " she then shook her head at him at realizing the nickname. "Calling me a fall maiden due to me playing the roll of fall?"

Madara shrugged. "Why not." He said. "I do wonder though…"

"W-Wonder what?" she asked slightly nervous.

"If you still have those graceful dancing moves."

She slightly pushed his arm as Madara didn't move an inch. There was no real weight behind the push, just a friendly one.

" _Guess the old buzzard was right, maybe there is something to enjoy during festivities like this._ " He shook his head as he stopped leaning on the rail, seeing as there was no more point. "Come on, I'll buy some of the cherry blossom dango for 'teasing' you too much."

Amber looked at him briefly before she too stopped leaning on the rail. "Sure! But beware, one dango is not even for an apologizing."

"Good thing I'm not apologizing then."

"Hey!"

As Madara and Amber walked off to join more in the festivities as well as buying some dango.

"Hohoho." A familiar voiced laughed as he watched Madara walk off with a young slightly older girl. "It seems he's enjoying it. That's good." He whispered.

With his arms still behind his back, Potoo turned his head behind him to a tree that didn't have any street lamps near it.

It was simply by chance he saw Madara talk to the girl and enjoy the conversation, but now the tree caught his attention before he too, walked off, presumably back to the inn or at least around the town to give Madara some more time alone.

" _Even in your old age, you still almost noticed me. That was close._ " A black haired woman leaned back out from behind the tree to 'monitor' the progress of her son. " _…Two months, it seems progress has been made, but the longer the more powerful it seems._ "

" _Ten more months?_ " she reasoned with herself. She would think of a proper time later, however she noticed Madara talk to a girl. " _…I suppose it's that age for him…_ "

She…didn't know how to feel about this.

Was she supposed to play the supportive role and allow this to happen, or was she supposed to play the overprotective role and stop this from happening?

She had no idea.

What path…gave him more power?

* * *

Madara had paid for the pink dango, which was fairly popular, and the two had begun to eat the first stick of dango.

"…It's actually pretty good." Madara said. "But, nowhere near Inarizushi." He added afterwards.

"This type of dango only produces once a year…" Amber told the Branwen. "It's a shame because it's pretty good."

"Why don't they make more for when the festival is off if its good." He asked as they past a stand selling dango…and was out of the ones they were eating. "I see they run out quick…"

"If you sell something like that any time of the day, it'll lose its touch and yet another reason to not come to the festival."

"Does that include the dance?"

"S-Shut it! No more talk of the dance."

"Fine, fine…but where are we going?"

"We're going to get the best seats in the house to watch the fireworks!"

"…Alright."

Madara had followed the fall seasoned dancer as they found some comfortable spots further away from where the fireworks would be launched. It gave them plenty of room and a lot of space to see.

They both heard the countdown of the multiple people down in the town, hundreds if not thousands.

Soon, the fireworks began…and didn't stop.

Madara had activated his Sharingan through out the discussions with Amber, and at the festivities of the festival.

He didn't know if he would come back for another one, but it would be good to have these memories if this was his first and last time.

The teen learnt from Amber, that theses fireworks went on for ages. At least two to three hours.

He also heard music played loudly, namely the newer releases and popular ones as the fireworks continued.

However, it was a chilly night and would only get colder.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, the fireworks ended as they stood up. It was practically freezing now.

Madara's eyes glanced at Amber before his eyes returned to normal.

"Here." He said as she looked to see his purple, high collared, long sleeve mantle to her. "It's cold tonight, and your cloak won't keep you that much more warm."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to the cold. I trained in it to build up some resistances."

Madara was now left with his form-fitting undershirt. "Are you staying at an inn?" he asked.

"I am…" She said as she put on the purple mantle. "This…is warm."

"I did just wear it." He told her with a small amused smile. "I'll walk you to the inn."

"But what about this?" she gestured to his clothing she was wearing…for some reason, he liked it.

"I'm staying at an inn too. Don't know if it's the same, but I am leaving in the morning."

Amber was about to say something after their walk in silence. "Is this it?" he asked.

"It is."

"Then this is as far as we go."

"What-"

"If it's my clothes, then you can hand it back before I leave."

Madara stopped walking and turned his head enough to look back at her. "Oh…and have a nice autumn night, fall dancer."

She would have said something but decided not to as he had already walked away.

* * *

Madara had made it back to the inn where he stayed with the old senile man. "Hohoho! Did you have fun boy?" Potoo asked as he stood up and walked to their lodging. "What was her name? Did you have fun? I see you gave her your warm clothing of a chilly night like this."

"Potoo…I'm cold and tired. Let me sleep."

"Oh dear, tuckered out?" he asked. "What did you do during those fireworks? I'm not prepared for another kid in the tribe."

Madara only groaned as he got into bed as Potoo chuckled loudly. " _It's good to see he enjoyed his time. Something Raven couldn't really do to being far too serious…Qrow on the other hand…_ "

Qrow seemed to have taken the 'enjoy your youth' far too much to the point where he left the clan for good.

" _Those two darn kids of mine…_ " he thought while silently chuckling. While he wasn't their biological parent, he was their adoptive one, seeing as he brought them into the clan and helped them who became who they were.

Raven, loyal to the tribe and far too serious at times.

Qrow, the one who abandoned the tribe and far too lax, carefree…and drunk from what heard at times.

Now, he had a third one, Madara. Loyal to the tribe like his mother, and hopefully will get him to enjoy his time too without going too far one way or the other end and rather be in the middle to create a balance.

Potoo decided to get some sleep in to, he didn't want to sleep in otherwise Madara would scowl at him like his mother used to back when she wanted to get stronger.

" _What type of training shall we do next?_ " he wondered as once his head hit the pillow...

…he immediately began to snore…


	15. Black Claw

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 15: Black Claw

Madara got up bright and early as he got ready for the day of training which seemed more like Potoo showing him more of the world, but whatever.

They were little details anyway.

The inn provided breakfast as the raven haired teen waited for Potoo.

"Hm, you seem to be ready to go." The coot said. "…You didn't get her pregnant…did you?"

Madara just stared blankly at the old man. "Calm down, calm down." The old man repeated. "I'm just pulling your leg. Anyway, you better get you mantle."

"Is it really necessary?" he asked. "It's just clothing."

Potoo shook his head as after breakfast they were walking towards the exit of the town, which seemed to be cleaning the remainder of yesterday's festival.

"It's not just clothing and there are too many reasons to retrieve it as well."

Madara rolled his eyes as he saw the old man smile. "What are you smiling at?"

"Look ahead."

Madara did as he was told and looked ahead.

In the distance was Amber waiting next to a white horse holding his mantle.

"It seems she beat us to it." Potoo said.

"…I guess so."

"Good morning." Amber said as she walked over and spotted Potoo next to Madara. "Here's your mantle, and I who's this?"

"My name is Potoo." He introduced himself.

"Amber." She introduced as well.

Madara had already put the mantle back on before as he held his mask at the ready. "Are you perhaps related?"

"You could say that." Madara shrugged. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not long." She said truthfully.

"Hmm…are you perhaps on your way now?" asked Potoo.

"Yes, I am."

" _What are you up to old man?_ " Madara wondered.

"How about you tag along with us?" the fossil offered. "It'll be more fun this way with being in a group."

Amber looked at her horse before back to the two. "If you don't mind." She made up her mind. It was quite lonely on the road.

"We will be glad to have you with us!" Potoo smiled.

"…Where are your weapons?" she asked as she finally noticed.

"The senile old fool wanted me to get stronger without the use of weapons." Madara revealed with crossed arms. "Are you sure you want to come with us?"

"Well…I already agreed."

"Great! Excellent! Perfect!" Potoo said. "Glad to have you with us Amber, now, let's hit the road!"

The three walked with Amber walking alongside her horse. "That your horse?" Madara asked.

"Yep." She said as she stroked the horse's main. "Her name's Zuri."

The horse neighed in response as if greeting herself. "What about you? Have any animals?"

"I have a hawk called Garuda." Madara told her. "He's currently back with my family."

Madara then sent her a look. "You don't need to walk. You can ride on Zuri if you want."

Amber shook her head. "No, I don't want to be lazy." She said. "And it will do me good."

"If you say so…" Madara said as he closed his eyes as they continued on their walk.

* * *

Potoo, who walked slightly in front of the younger two stopped walking as he narrowed his eyes with a serious glint to them, which in turn caused the two behind him to stop right behind him and gain confused looks of their own…

"What's wrong old man?" Madara asked as he put on his battle mask.

They had been walking on the road for some time, leaving early in the morning to get most out of their trip.

"Is something ahead?" Amber asked as she was ready to pull out her weapon.

"…I think I threw out my back there." The old man then laughed joyfully.

"What? Really?" asked Amber.

" _This isn't good._ " Potoo thought. " _I didn't think we would stumble across one…_ "

"What's really the matter old man?" asked his pseudo-grandson. "What's up ahead to make you like this?"

Amber's hand went back to retrieve her weapon.

"It's nothing…major." He sighed.

"Is it Grimm?" asked the dancer that played fall.

"No."

"White Fang?" she asked again.

"Worse."

Madara looked at Potoo oddly. "Worse?"

"Tread carefully." He said as they followed the old man cautiouslessly. "We should be fine…but just in case…"

"What are you talking about exactly?"

Potoo stopped as he faced them. "I should explain…" he said. "This was before you were both born…and it has ties to the White Fang."

"Go on." The black haired teen said.

"Back in the day, when while there were still peaceful ways of the White Fang, they...started to use more aggressive methods when they were attacked." The old man told the two. "Then…they created a small subgroup of the faction…they called this group…Black Claw."

"Black Claw…" the two tested the name.

"The Black Claw was meant to be to increase a faunus' abilities. However, it was closed down and didn't even last for a year due to experimentation that happened within the sub group." The storyteller told them.

" _So they tried to gain strength through artificial means…_ " Madara thought.

"They closed it down due to the fact they were turning faunus more animalistic. Turning them into the things they tried so hard to not be identified as." The elderly man continued. "However, even though they were shut down. I believe the two heads of the group, still carry out their experiments…and they couldn't be different from each other after being absorbed into their own work."

"And what work was that?" the female of the group asked.

"The project was led by two people. Hund, a dog faunus and Kedi, a cat faunus." Potoo then started to explain how different their goals were. "Hund wanted to create the Ultimate Faunus…and Kedi, just wanted to see what would happen when multiple of the same faunus traits were added to a faunus unlike Hund who wanted to use all different species of faunus."

"So one wanted to create a powerful faunus to the point of it being ultimate…and the other just wanted to add more faunus traits to an existing faunus simply for curiosity and pleasure?" his 'grandson' asked.

Potoo nodded. "Hund…he became obsessed with creating the ultimate faunus to overthrow us humans and Kedi…she became obsessed with what she now calls perfection, style and fashion."

"…Did…you know them?" the horse owner asked.

"No, I didn't." he shook his head.

"How do you know this?"

"…" the old man sighed. "One of my comrades used to be a part of White Fang and he knew of the Black Claw subgroup. While it's gone and forgotten today, those involved never forgot."

"… _So it was one of the tribe members back when Potoo used to be the leader…before I was born._ " Madara remained silent as he chose to just listen to the story being told.

"My close friend, who used to be apart of the White Fang for a short time…he was the one who discovered their experimentations."

"..."

"But enough about that." He said before he turned around. "I thought this old and hidden path was a shortcut…but it seems it led to an abandoned Black Claw facility."

"If it's abandoned, we'll be fine…right?"

"Hopefully." He said. "Just because the Black Claw division was shut down…doesn't mean that Hund and Kedi stopped."

"So we must be on our guard." Madara said.

"Yes."

"…"

"What are you thinking about? Is there something wrong?" Amber asked Madara as he stared at a concealed building they got closer and closer too.

They decided to continue the same way to save time, it would take too long to backtrack and go around.

"…I don't really know…but, I want to go inside…" he said.

Potoo looked at Madara who had sped his pace up slightly as they got closer to the concealed Black Claw facility.

Madara now stood in front of the old facility covered in overgrown vines, grass and other plants.

For Madara, everything was silent as he heard his own heartbeat.

"I'm going in." Madara said.

"…Madara…" Potoo said. "Is there something wrong?"

"For some reason…there's something in there drawing me in." Madara then moved the overgrowth from the entrance. "Amber, hide Zuri and yourself if you choose not to come in. Old man, you can wait here too."

"I'm not leaving you in there by yourself without knowing what's in there." The old man said as he walked to Madara's side.

Amber then bought out her own weapon. It was a staff that extended into battle mode and back to its inactive mode. However, unlike the staff Auk used that could extend much further had two dust crystals attached to both ends. One white dust crystal and the other one was red.

Due to frequent use of dust, he could tell it was fire and wind dust on the staff.

"I'm coming too. I'll feel bad if I let the two of you go in there alone." She said before turning to her horse. "Zuri, go hide just in case someone comes out of this entrance who isn't us."

The horse neighed before walking off to find a place nearby.

"Are you sure you want to go in there Madara?" Potoo asked.

The teen could only nod. "Have you ever had that feeling where your gut tells you to do something? And if you don't you feel worse than before? It's one of those feelings…"

"Well, let's hope they're not active…or they have more of those animalistic and feral creations running around."

Madara walked in followed by Amber and Potoo. His Sharingan activated as he walked down the cold metallic hallway. It was like a vault.

He could see aura…aura oozing out of the end of the hallway. "From here, I can see aura from the end of the hallway." Madara said. "…Let's look in these other rooms."

So then they began to investigate the rooms nearby.

The first room was filled with machinery and computer screens.

The second room was more of a barracks, filled with beds.

The third room was split into two halves seeing as they were bathrooms. One side was for females and the other for males with toilets, showers, baths (mainly on the female side) and urinals for the men's side.

The facility wasn't that big due to them wanting to be hidden away so their research couldn't be discovered by humans.

The only thing they found in the barracks was spare clothes…so far, nothing was in here…except for the source of aura.

Amber however looked through the computer, which sadly didn't have much information on it, as if it was wiped.

It did have something on value on it though. It contained some files which didn't help them at all. A quick search and what she could do, she did restore a photo from the machine.

The photo was pretty ruined but it did show two faunus in the picture. A picture they could only believe would be Hund and Kedi.

Hund, the male faunus was as Potoo said, a dog faunus. He had short brown hair and a pair of dog ears to show his faunus heritage. He wore a long open white lab coat that went to his ankles over a long sleeved red dress shirt that had a black vest over it, black business pants and dress shoes.

Kedi, the female faunus was a cat faunus, much like Potoo described before. She had chin-length black hair and a pair of cat ears on her head. She wore a sleeveless black zip up vest that was zipped up to her neck, a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of black heels one would call luxurious. Like Hund, she wore a long open lab coat that went down to legs.

"Is that Hund and Kedi?" Madara asked the oldest of the group.

"I presume so." Potoo said before the trio had one last room to check.

All that remained was the fourth and final room where the aura poured out of at the end of the hallway.

Madara was the first one to enter the room…and it was dark.

The only thing that provided light seemed to be green glass attached to what might be pods. However Madara's guard was up as Amber used her staff's fire dust crystal as a torch.

Thanks to the sort of light, they found a light switch which lit up the darkness in the room.

The room they were in was definitely the largest room in the facility as numerous pods were lined up on both sides with one facing them at the end…and it seemed broken.

Madara quickly grabbed Amber's staff and used to wind dust as something was blasted away.

The thing blasted away flipped backwards and landed on top of the broken stasis pod.

"Good reflexes." It said with a male's voice.

Madara handed the weapon back before he looked up to see the person who attacked them.

The person was a faunus and was visually the same age as Madara…and sounded the same age as Madara.

He had short messy brown hair with red slitted eyes. He wore black fingerless black gloves that went to his biceps, long black pants, sandals and a black shirt without sleeves.

The most striking and noticeable feature…was how many faunus traits he has. He had two small horns on his head which resembled gazelle horns along with retractable claws still extended, sharp teeth, a long tail which was assumed to be that of a monkey's tail and some dark spots on his shoulders from what was visible.

This faunus had way too many faunus features…and who knew how many more he had.

"I suppose it was good enough…for a human." He said.

Madara stayed silent as he just looked at the faunus. Would he still be considered a faunus?

"Ignoring me human?" the faunus asked. "That's…a bad move!"

The faunus leapt from on top of the broken pod and directly at Madara who simply moved out of the way after pushing both Amber and Potoo out of the way.

The faunus landed with a loud crash as he left a small spider web crack into the ground. He immediately turned around and started to throw fist after fist as Madara who dodged them.

" _He can dodge my strikes?_ " the faunus thought at his fast punches. The faunus then grinned as he started to pick up the pace before Madara started to deflect the fists with his hands by pushing them to the sides.

Madara changed from simple reflecting of the attacks to grabbing a hold of both wrists.

He brought up his knee which was then met with the faunus. So, he reeled his mask back and went for a headbutt which the faunus did as well before they both reeled back.

Madara instantly turned as he released his grip on the faunus, allowing the mutli featured faunus to fly towards a wall.

The faunus landed against the wall with his feet and sprang back at Madara who purposely fell to the side as the faunus flew over him.

When the enemy faunus landed he turned to see Madara put his foot down. The faunus rolled from the stomp before he then went to kick the faunus who continued to roll.

Amber brought up her staff but was stopped by Potoo. "Don't. We'll just be in the way." He said. "Plus with the way they're fighting…we'll just get in the way."

" _There's this feeling again._ " Madara thought as he dodged a swipe from the faunus' claws as the faunus dodged his kick.

The faunus flipped backgrounds with his hands as he crouched as he stared at Madara. "…" the faunus then shook his head before he shot out at Madara. "You're pretty decent…for a human."

"Less talking…" Madara then shot forward at the faunus. "…and more dancing."

Their fists connected before then both started to throw punches before jumping back shortly after.

The faunus flexed his fingers as Madara cracked his neck.

Madara watched as the faunus ran towards him with his claws dragging across the ground as if it would help sharpen them.

Madara slammed his palms together and looked like he had clapped as he watched the faunus get closer, with some confusion at Madara's actions.

The mutli-faunus got closer and closer and then went for the attack as Madara started to move his hands while leaning back.

A foot connected with the faunus' chin and sent him into the air.

" _He distracted me while thinking his hands would prepare an attack, like a semblance while his foot was actually the main attack._ " The faunus quickly tried to recover as Madara went for an attack while he was in the air.

The faunus felt a fist in his stomach as he was punched away. He then slid along the group before he stared at Madara.

" _This feeling…is getting stronger…_ " the faunus thought who stood up straight. "You did pretty well human, decent. I shall grant you my name, I am Pan."

"What is your name human?" Pan asked.

"Madara." The Branwen told the faunus.

"Madara…" the faunus tested the name. " _There it is…my heart is racing…_ "

"Come Madara!" Pan said as the two exchanged blows.

" _What is this feeling? The wild throbbing in my heart?_ " their blows continued, neck to neck. No advantages, no disadvantages from either side. Complete balance. " _This rush and this tension!_ " they continued blow for blow.

" _The exhilaration of a challenging fight!_ " they both thought as their fists connected together once more.

Their attacks sent them both back as the faunus jumped back on top of the broken pod crouched once more.

"…Madara…" Pan said as he remained staring at the Branwen. "…I want to fight you…I want to fight you more."

"I guess you could say that I feel the same way…"

"Perfect! The exhilaration of our brief encounter proved to me that you're strong!" he said. "However…I feel that we can both become much stronger so we can enjoy our clash at a later date."

"…"

"For now Madara, get stronger! Much stronger than you are now!" Pan then leapt towards the exit and landed at the entrance of the pod room. "I look forward to our encounter!"

Madara watched as Pan had already left the room before taking off his mask.

"Shouldn't we have stopped him?" Amber asked.

"…No…" Madara said. "He'll prove to be a decent person to dance with."

Madara then turned to Potoo. "I assume he was the 'Ultimate Faunus' that Hund wanted to create."

Potoo nodded as he walked over to the damaged pod. "It seems so." Potoo said. "As I said before, Hund used multiple faunus traits while only Kedi multiplied the same faunus trait."

"It also seems that this Pan had broken out of his pod."

"What type of pods are they?" Madara asked the old man.

"I assume stasis pods." The old coot began. "Hund wouldn't have wanted his creation to die before it got to chance to be in this world I assume, and it seemed Kedi wanted to keep her subjects pristine too."

"…Are Hund and Kedi still out there?" asked the female of the group.

"…Yes." Potoo nodded. "While Black Claw was shut down, I wouldn't put it past them to conduct more in secret. Also, while the Black Claw quickly became forgotten since it was only known to a select few…they didn't capture or find Hund or Kedi…they successfully escaped."

"This Pan person just proved that they are still out there."

"Um…guys." Amber said as she looked at a pod…or rather a few pods.

"What is it fall dancer?" Madara asked.

Amber ignored the nickname as she pointed at the pods. "There's some faunus in here. Faunus with multiple of the same trait…created by Kedi."

"Well if Hund created Pan, Kedi couldn't have been too far behind." Madara said. "The two seemed pretty close from what I can tell."

"…What…do we do?" she turned to Madara as Potoo just nodded at Madara. One day, Madara would take over the tribe, he would need to make decisions for the greater of the tribe and this decision will help.

Madara closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them back up with conviction.

"Open them."


	16. Alpha Dominance

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 16: Alpha Dominance

"Are you sure?" Amber asked at hearing Madara's decision.

"Open them up." He said. "I doubt not all of them would want to attack us."

Potoo just stroked his beard. "You could be wrong though." He said. "But that doesn't mean you're entirely wrong."

"Has there been faunus that Kedi created that may have been accepted into faunus society?" asked Madara.

"Hm…actually...I think so." Potoo said. "But sadly in my old age, I cannot remember every detail."

" _Of course…_ " Madara thought.

"But since they only have multiplied faunus traits their children would only inherit one trait." The elder continued.

"…I didn't ask that…"

While this was happening, Amber was at one of the terminals. She couldn't believe how many experiments went on in this place…and Madara wanted to wake them up?

Granted, there were only a few in here.

Pan, who was created by Hund, was presumably created just from the DNA of multiple faunus' animal traits more so that the humanoid body.

The others, that Kedi created, were either created from scratch like Pan…or where existing faunus of society either volunteers back when Black Claw wasn't shut down or unwillingly abducted and experimented on…

That thought made her sick.

"Any progress?" asked the black haired teen.

"Sort of." She replied casually. "However, out of all these pods…only five remain with living faunus within them."

"…only five?" he asked looking towards her from the pods.

"Just five." She reaffirmed.

"Tell me when you are about to open them or found the way to open them." Madara said.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take a look at the pods."

"Madara, may I have a word with you?" Potoo asked.

"Yes you old crone?"

"I'm just wondering what your plan is." He said as they looked at the pods. "What are you going to do when they are awake?"

Madara sighed as he begun to explain. "I understand the potential danger that we might face Potoo, therefore we are going to open them one at a time and deal with them one at a time." Madara said with a slight wave of his hand. "Also there's another reason."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"The potential of allies." He said smoothly.

"…Allies?"

"That's what I said wasn't it?" Madara looked at him oddly.

"Why would you want them to be allies with you or us?"

"Remember when you said they became more animalistic? Well, judging from the brief conflict with Pan, that wasn't the animalistic you were talking about meaning that Hund and Kedi advanced their research and experimentation to this point." The teen explained. "That means they are willing to reason, therefore willing to become allies."

"And why would they become our allies?"

"Belonging…" Madara said to his pseudo-grandfather. "They would want a place to belong too. Black Claw is abandoned and we don't know if they were willing or unwilling test subjects, they're all alone in here except for the five of them and as due to your forgetfulness, we don't know how other faunus would accept them. Would they accept them or would it be the opposite?"

"If it is the opposite, then I don't need to say anything don't I."

The elderly man sighed while stroking his beard with one hand with the other behind his back. "You seem on favouring them alive." He noted.

"Sometimes you keep the people you use alive until they run out of use for you…some last much longer than others." He said. "Besides, if anything happens, I'll use my semblance and trap them within an illusion."

"I found how to open the pods!" Amber called out.

"It's time to face the music." Madara said as he walked back over to Amber.

"How are we going to do this?"

"We are going to wake them up one at a time." Madara told her. "It will be easier to manage this way."

"True, but which pod do you want to start with first?" she asked pointed to one of the five pods on the screen.

"Hm…is there any information on the pods?"

Amber looked through the terminal. "Just basic information." She said. "Gender, faunus types, but not much else. It's just the basic stuff and much like the terminal in the first room we checked."

"So they possibly abandoned this outpost and moved onto another?" Madara wondered. He then turned his head in Potoo's direction. "Old man…"

"Yes?"

"There was one more thing I wanted to point out."

"And what may that be?"

"If I can't reason with them to join or become allies aside from my illusions. I can do something else."

"What's that?"

Madara smirked. "If they might still have the animalistic side to them as you said that they might have, then I'll do something common among both animals and people."

"…And that is?"

Madara's smirk grew as he looked back at the pods. "I'll show them who's the alpha." He said. "I'll show my dominance."

He then looked back over to Amber who had the five pods ready. "What type of faunus are they?" he asked.

"Well…they only have them down as types…"

"Tell me the five 'types' please."

"Type-F, Type-C, Type-L, Type-S and Type-B." she read off the screen. "No real allusion to their actual faunus species…just the beginning letter of the faunus types."

"Which one do you want to open first?" she asked.

"…Open up Type-B." as the words left Madara's mouth, Amber had already begun to open the pod.

The pod opened slowly as a cloud of glass was released from the interior of the pod. Shortly after the pod opened, a figure stumbled out of the pod groggily, like they had just woken up from a deep sleep.

"Bat faunus." Madara noted.

"Where…" the bat faunus fell to the floor but was quickly caught by Madara. "Who are you?"

"My name…is Madara." The teen said to his fellow teen. "You've been sleeping in this pod when my companions and I stumbled across this facility."

"What is your name?" he asked the bat faunus.

"Saguzar…" the bat faunus said. "Saguzar Amethyst."

Saguzar was a young man around Madara's age with two bat ears on top of his head. He wore a black cloth around his eyes with dark lilac-purple hair that went to his chin in length. He also had a pair of bat feet, sharp fangs and wore what appeared to be a dark black long sleeved racing jacket with some purple on the sleeves and the same patterned racing pants. There appeared to be something attached to the racing suit's arms and torso, starting from the wrists that went to the end of the jacket.

Madara gave Type-B, Saguzar, some time to recover.

"Do you remember anything?" Madara asked.

Saguzar nodded. "I remember when that scientist lady Kedi put him into a machine…I…feel different."

"…I'm sorry to say…but this 'Kedi' from the Black Claw…had used you for experimentation."

"W-What?" the faunus stuttered.

"Calm down, you might notice a few new features, but it's all bat faunus features." The teen said. "Have you heard of the Black Claw?"

"…I…think so?"

"Well, let me tell you from what I know. The Black Claw did experiments on their own kind, Kedi multiplied the same faunus features of a single faunus, like you, this is why you have both bat ears and bat talons." Madara explained. "However she wasn't alone, her partner Hund did something very similar but using multiple faunus features."

"Am I…the only one here?" he asked shyly…now that Madara noticed…he seemed to be a bit girly.

"You are the second person to wake up." The son of the Raven said. "The first person who awoke was 'moulded' by Hund and left."

"Is he the one who had multiple faunus features?" Saguzar asked.

"Yes, the very same one."

"But…I can't hear him…"

"That's because he already left. Now, there are six of you, five experimented on by Kedi and one by Hund."

"Are the other four still in those pod things?"

Madara nodded and added a 'yes' for the blindfolded faunus. "However, the other pods besides these four in this facility...are not upon us anymore."

"I-I see…"

"I forgot to introduce my companions, this is Amber and Potoo." Madara introduced.

After a short introduction with Potoo and Amber, Madara was ready to open up more pods.

"Before we open these pods, would you happen to know any of them Saguzar?"

"I-I don't know all of them…"

"Can you point out a few you might?"

"Well…the other male is named Slange…"

"Amber, open Type-S!"

"Opening it up." She called back as the pod went through its activation sequence.

"How did you know of this Slange?" the kind elderly man asked the bat faunus.

"W-We used to live in the same town…he was like an older brother to me."

"I hate to bring this up now, but in apparent previous experimentations, faunus became…more animalistic and wild, almost feral." Madara turned to face him as the bat could feel the serious look Madara was sending his way. "Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Y-Yes, I do!"

"Here he comes…"

The pod opened to reveal yet another faunus, one of the five that remained created by Kedi.

"Snake faunus…" Amber said from the terminal as the man's hand grabbed on to the side of the pod as he stepped out.

Slange was a man roughly in his twenties. He has oily serpentine skin, practically covered from head to toe in scales and slitted orange eyes and ash-grey hair. He wore dark blue with a tint of purple pants that stopped just a bit after his knees.

He looked around the room a bit where he spotted Madara. "…Human…"

"Snake." The teen replied calmly.

Slange took a step forward as Madara spoke again. "I will warn you that if you decide to attack me, it will end in your death." He said. "Besides, it will make a bat upset, Slange."

"How do you know my name!" he hissed.

"Slange, stop!" the bat faunus said as he stood in front of both males.

"…Saguzar…what happened to you?" he asked before looking at his own skin. "…Kedi…" he let out a small hiss, he clearly remembered everything.

"Slange, he, no, they helped us out!" the petite and smaller teen compared to Madara said.

"…So you let us out..."

"I did."

Slange crossed his arms as he sighed. "I guess I should thank you for waking Saguzar."

Madara gave a brief nod. "Since you recall, we're going to open the remaining pods." Madara said. "Open Type-C and Type-F."

Both pods opened slowly before they showed the faunus within. Both of the faunus were female and of different sizes.

The first was a cat faunus while the other was a fox faunus.

" _It seemed…she decided to just make popular opposites with these two…_ " Madara thought.

"How long have we been sleeping?" asked the cat faunus.

"I don't know…but I wanna stay in…" replied the fox faunus.

"Come on Topaz, let's get out of these cold things."

The fox faunus seemingly groaned in annoyance before she too got out. "Okay, Beltza..."

Beltza was a beautiful woman and attractive woman with a voluptuous figure, long black hair with split bangs, hazel gold eyes with cat like pupils, a pair of black cat ears and two black tails. She wore a black kimono, a yellow obi, a set of golden beads hanging from her obi, and an ornately detailed headband. The kimono featured a red interior and was open at her shoulders, giving view to her enormously large breasts.

Topaz was a 'young' girl with the appearance of an elementary school student. She has golden, blonde hair tied into a ponytail (which looked messy at the back) and matching eyes. Her faunus trait was that of nine golden fox tails and matching ears on the top of her head. She wore a traditional miko outfit with tall geta with white tabi. The sleeves on her haori featured a giant red star-shaped pentagram, surrounded by five small pentagrams in between the point.

They were total opposites in looks…what type of person was this Kedi person anyway?

Madara rubbed the bridge of his nose. What has Kedi created?!

"Hey look! There are people over there." Topaz said with a bit of excitement.

" _Is she…a child?_ " the three humans thought.

Beltza bowed at Madara. "Nice to meet you, my name is Beltza, Beltza Quartz." However due to her bow, it showed off more of her assets…and she was genuinely surprised when Madara had no visible reaction.

"I'm Topaz!" Topaz introduced herself. "Topaz Galben! I live at a temple! Or used to…and my favourite food is pocky. Oh and Ima..Iwa…um…"

"…Imagawayaki?" Madara took a shot in the dark as he had knelt to her height. "Looks like pancakes?"

"Yeah! That's it!" she said cheerfully. "Actually, I like a lot of food…am six! No, seven!"

Beltza just gave Topaz a look. "Toptop…"

"D-Don't use that nickname!"

"Sorry about her, she likes to lie about her age…"

"I-I'm not lying!"

Slange, Potoo, Amber, Saguzar and Madara all looked at each other.

"If she's not six or seven…how old is she?" asked Amber.

"Fine! You caught me, I'm really twelve."

Beltza leaned in and whispered into Madara's ear. "Sorry about her, by she's actually…" she then whispered the age into Madara's ear so quietly, no one else with increased sense of hearing would be able to hear.

"…Really?" he asked back in a whisper. "But she looks like a child."

"It's hard to comprehend but she is that old." The cat faunus said. "But, please just act if she was really between the ages six and twelve…it's better for all of us if you could."

"I will… I can't believe that she looks so young despite being older than me…" he whispered.

"What are you two talking about?" asked 'young' girl.

"Nothing important, Topaz." The cat said as she waved her hand is if nothing happened.

"Okay!"

"And then there was one…" Potoo said as he looked towards the final pod.

"Open up the last pod, Type-L." Madara commanded.

As the final pod opened, the last of the five faunus experiment by Kedi, six if Hund's Pan was included, burst opened as the last figure jumped out of the pod.

"A lion faunus…" Madara heard Saguzar speak from behind him.

" _What's he doing behind me?_ " the black haired teen thought before his gaze went back to the now proudly standing.

As soon as Madara opened his mouth, the faunus spoke.

"The name's Saja Gul!" the lion faunus said as she seemed to be pretty energetic after coming out of the pod, like it was nothing to her.

Saja Gul was a young woman with golden eyes, long blonde hair that was comparable to a mane that reached past her back with two long bangs framing the sides of her head. She had two rounded lion ears on her head, a lion tail, fur covered claws and paws which still resembled human hands, lion-like feet and many areas of her body was covered in fur the same colour as her hair. Her arms were covered in fur from under her shoulders, the middle of her biceps, down to her wrists that connected to her lion-like hands. She wore black leather chaps with what he assumed to be a unitard…a very revealing unitard. The unitard was sleeveless and had no leggings what so ever, it also revealed both her naval and her cleavage and seemingly connected, however there was fur lining on the unitard around the legs and with the cleavage too. It was a wondered to how the front stayed on…

Madara could feel the heating face of the bat faunus behind him. " _Stop hiding behind me…_ " he thought with slight annoyance.

But he could understand why he was both afraid and embarrassed. She was a lion faunus and lion's were prideful creatures rivalling that of the old mythological dragons when it came to pride.

And also dangerous…that made cat faunus look like… cats actually.

"Well, Saja-"

Madara was cut off once again. "Calling me Saja is fine, but I personally like being called by my full name better." She said. "Saja Gul sounds cool, but also just Saja by itself also sounds good…"

The teen released a sigh at the woman's antics.

"Man its good to be up and about!" Saja said as she stretched. "So who are you?"

"My name is Madara." Madara introduced himself. "I assume you are aware of Hund and Kedi?"

He re-explained what happened to the few that seemed to be unable to remember and how he and woken them up after so long.

"So…why did you wake us up?" Saja asked.

"It wouldn't sit right with me to leave you stuck in these pods." He said. "I have no idea how long you were in there, but I can only guess some time has passed."

"…"

"All of you, have gain additional faunus traits, some more than others." He continued. "I don't know how you'll be treated by both humans and faunus. But, I can give you a place to belong, either as allies or comrades."

The four different faunus looked at each other thinking it over as Saja just growled.

"So…you're saying...that you want to led us?!" she growled aloud.

" _Oh yeah, a lion would rather be the leader of the pack…_ " he thought. "…You do realise what you're saying, right?"

"I don't care!" she shouted back at him with her claw raised. "The only leader here is me!"

Madara tilted his head. "Calm down, kitten." He said before he smirked and gestured her to come at him. "If you have what it takes to be an alpha, then come at me."

Saja lunged forward with her human-lion hand reared back.

Madara leaned back as he swerved around the faunus who's fist hit the wall before it unleashed an overwhelming destructive force.

" _The hell is with that strength?_ " Madara was then on the defensive as she swung her fist and legs at him.

"Like my semblance? I'm not that creative with names so I made it simple, Destruction!"

" _It was pretty destructive…better not be caught by that…just in case._ " Madara landed his palm in her naval. "You better stop." He warned before she looked him in the eye.

She grabbed him by his face as she slammed him into the ground. As her hand was still attached to her face, she unleashed her semblance on him.

It caused the ground to break underneath his head as it was pushed deeper into the ground.

Saja stood up as she looked down at the teen with his head slammed into the ground.

"See! I'm the pack leader!" she grinned.

"Really?" her opponent asked as she watched as he stood up like nothing happened. "Are you sure about that?"

Madara then began to give off not only his aura, but his intent to kill.

In a blink of an eye he was already up to her face as his hand pierced her chest. "I'll give you once more chance." He whispered into her ear. "Will you join me?"

She opened her mouth as he cut her off. "Don't worry. You'll still be your own alpha." He told her. "Just an alpha that will follow another alpha. There are alpha males and alpha females after all."

She didn't response right away before she felt his hand move inside her. "F-Fine." She said. "But…prove it to me. Show me some proof that you accept all of us, that we can confidently be your allies."

"…I can't do much here." He said. "But I can do this for now."

He lifted his thumbs before immediately pushed his thumbs into his eyes! Not a moment of hesitation. "There was no hesitation in my actions, which should suffice for at least now." He said as he held a hand towards her. "If you now believe, take my hand."

Saja looked at the hand for a second before grabbing his hand…and then it was like the world changed.

She blinked as she looked at her stomach…there was no wound before she looked up to see Madara, who's eyes were fine.

"What…did you do?"

Madara shrugged. "Something to calm you down." He replied.

"…Did you mean what you said…when that dream or whatever happened?"

He nodded. "I did mean every word. No hesitation, but I will prove it more along the way…allies?"

"…Allies." She said as she stood to her full height.

Madara smiled as he looked to the other four. "And what of you four?" he asked.

The shy bat nodded. "I-I'll go with you…"

Slange just sighed. "Right, right. I'll guess I'll go with you for now, but you have to prove yourself."

"I'll go! I'll go!" Topaz said excitedly. "It's nice to travel with a big party!"

"If Topaz is going, I'm going." Beltza said. "But then again, I'd probably go either way."

"B-BELTZA!" the small fox faunus shouted in shock as the cat faunus simply laughed behind her hand.

"Well that's settled then." Raven's son said.

" _Hohoho, it seems like Madara has convinced these five to our cause…or at least allies to our cause._ " Potoo thought. " _It seems your son as taken to your recruitment skills, Raven._ "

Potoo could remember when his pseudo-daughter had recruited most of the tribe they knew today. However his pseudo-son, Qrow…tried to recruit this cute girl he saw…

It didn't end well…

" _Wow._ " Was all Amber thought as she watched as the five faunus experimented on by Kedi join Madara. The only one who seemed to disagree was Hund's creation, Pan. " _Maybe…I should stick around for a bit longer. It certainly isn't boring around these two._ "

Madara was about to instruct everyone to leave until he stopped at Slange. While his clothes were fine, they were just pants, he needed something else to wear on top of it.

"…Wait right here." Madara said as he left the room and entered the barracks. He then returned holding was seemed to be a cloak. "Here, put this on Slange."

Slange put the cloak he was given on and flipped the hood up. The cloak was a maroon-coloured cloak with a hood and beige interior with white, red and yellow markings that resembled eyes on the hood which resembled a serpent's head and eyes.

Slange decided to keep the hood up.

"So where do we go?" asked Saguzar.

"Wait for me outside of the facility."

"Huh?"

"There's something I want to check."

Madara watched as the seven left the room before Madara walked towards a pod. "Good afternoon." Madara said to the machine. "I thought there were only five active pods and six faunus here when I entered."

"Kukuku." A male's voice laughed. "You've got a keen eye."

"…So why hide away instead of coming out when your pod was opened?"

"Well, I did wake to see you and the two called Amber and Potoo." He said. "I will admit that I was surprised that you noticed me but didn't call me out."

"I could feel your eyes watching us and you had every right to remain cautious." Madara said. " _That and I could see your aura with my Sharingan when I prepared to use illusions._ "

"Anyways, how come your pod didn't show up during the opening sequence?"

Then the faunus revealed himself.

The man was in his early twenties, had a pale-white complexion with purple hair with golden-yellow eyes. There was a small vertical scar over his left eye which was also closed, claw-like nails and snake-like scaling over his upper torso, lower arms, legs and face but not fully like Slange. He wore a long, white robe over black hakama and it seemed that a hilt of a possible weapon was sticking out from under the robe through the opening down to his waist. He also had a crimson coloured ring on his left thumb and upside down cross heart shaped piercings on both ears.

"I didn't expect to see two snake faunus here within this facility."

"I guess you can say that there was more than one Type-S within this base." The snake faunus said. "I believe you know who I am…so who are you?"

"My name is Draco, Draco Copper." He said. "But you can call me Drake."

"So why were you watching?"

"I wanted to observe a potential threat." Drake replied. "But I can see that there are no enemies within your group. I will say, I was rather surprised that you were able to take on a lion faunus, not many can say the same."

"I fought tougher."

"I can tell." He said in a charismatic and charming way. "I assume you'll be offering me the same offer?"

"That's the plan."

The snake faunus stayed silent for some time. "…That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"By joining you, will it allow me to further my own goals?"

"As I said, depends what's your goal?"

"I wish…to become perfect." Drake told him as he walked around the room. "I wish to attain what is held above us humans and faunus. Perfection! The one true thing we all strive for is perfection, we dream of it, we chase it, we trained, study and experiment to become perfect."

Madara had his arms crossed as he listened to the snake. "I guess you can say…we are similar in a way."

"Are you saying you too wish to become perfect?"

"No." he said immediately after the faunus. "Not me, this world we live in."

"Oh?"

"You must know of how imperfect this world is, correct? Faunus are discriminated, crime run among even when there are more threats out there that we should be focusing on but just fight each other instead. We simply can't agree with each other, we're afraid of each other too. We can't even show each other our true feelings due to resentment, fear and suspicion will still remain. I want to make this imperfect world into a perfect world."

Madara then locked eyes with the snake faunus. "I will make the perfect world."

Mada then begun to leave the pod room. "If you wish to join us, come to the entrance, I will wait for five minutes before leaving."

Drake watched as Madara had left, leaving him solely alone in the room.

" _Madara. You seek perfection as I do but for the world instead of oneself…_ " he thought as he stared at the spot where Madara had left the room. " _You…are a mountain…_ "

"…A mountain that seeks perfection."

* * *

"So why are we waiting?" asked Amber as she sat upon her trusty stead, Zuri with Topaz setting in front of her.

Potoo, Slange, Beltza, Saja and Saguzar were patiently waiting as they either stood or sat on the soft grass outside.

…Well…except for Saguzar as he was hanging upside down from a tree branch with his bat feet.

Seems he might have inherited a bat's way of living.

"It's only been three minutes, Amber." Madara said. "I'll tell you when we leave in five minutes."

Madara turned his head slightly back to the facility's entrance. "But it looks like it wasn't the case."

Everyone else turned to see who came out of the facility. Another snake faunus with purple hair.

"So you've decided?"

Drake nodded. "I did."

"So that's were the other snake was…thought he died in his pod." Slange mumbled.

"So…there was another one in there." Potoo said before looking over at Madara. " _Did you know?_ " he thought looking at his pseudo-grandson.

"Assuming you're out the front means your coming." Madara said as he turned his back from the other snake faunus.

"Yes. I shall follow you after your words and display of power."

"Then let's go." Madara said.

Potoo shook his head as the group began to move. " _My, my…it's like he has his own tribe, not as big as the tribe, but close._ " He thought before he withheld a chuckle. " _Will these allies be joining the tribe? Or does Madara have something else in mind?_ "

Well…it wasn't just the two of the anymore.

It was bound to get more exciting from now on.

 **Madara as gained some allies, faunus allies, faunus that held many traits of the same type of faunus they were.**

 **Drake (Draco Copper) was an OC created by Antex-The Legendary Zoroark.**


	17. A Safe Haven

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Madara or RWBY**_

Chapter 17: A Safe Haven

A body dropped to the ground before it was kicked to the side. "For someone who wants to create a perfect world, you sure do a lot of killing." Drake said.

"In order to achieve perfection, you must partake in some of its imperfection." Madara replied.

"Hmm…interesting." The snake hissed with interest.

Madara had decided to go ahead of the pack to deal with any threats like what just happened. While he was a part of a bandit tribe, didn't mean there weren't any others who would pursuer the bandit life style.

…It also didn't mean that just because they were bandits now didn't make them strong…

The bodies were all kicked to the side of the beaten path low enough to hide the bodies so no one would notice, especially with the tall grass.

Drake decided to accompany him for what Madara would assume as reaching perfection.

Madara looked backwards as he saw the group make their way closer towards them, it was a fair distance and the ups and downs of the hills with large quantities of trees helped killing without being noticed too.

"So leader." The way the snake sounded out the word leader was probably out of amusement. "Why are we out ahead of the rest? They wouldn't mind killing seeing they aligned themselves to you."

"You're only here because you wanted to come with me." Madara pointed out. "I on the other hand went ahead to clear the path because they aligned themselves with me."

"Oh?"

"Sure, I could bring them into the bloodshed…but this way, they'll know that I'm protecting them from potential threats from the front."

"Are you quite sure to tell me this?"

Madara nodded. "You allied with me yourself." The human pointed out.

"That I have."

"Let's go on ahead." Madara began to walk off. "…Before they catch up to us."

Without saying a word, Drake followed the black haired teen.

* * *

The duo continued onwards, drawing in some other bandits they might have came across.

Two people were more tempting to try and rob rather than a large group.

"So…Draco…" Madara spoke slowly.

"Yes, Madara?" the purple haired faunus turned his head to look at the Branwen.

"What's your story?" the red eyed human said kind of bluntly. Drake raised one of his eyebrows before Madara explained. "We're going to be working together now, right? Then it'll be better for us to know one another."

"Why ask about me first?"

"While they pledged to me, not all would reveal their life stories willingly straight out of being in stasis." Madara kept his eyes on the road as his eyes looked over to Drake. "You on the other hand, would have no qualms with revealing more about yourself."

The snake chuckled. "Yessss." He said doing a stereotypical snake voice. "Your right, out of all of them, I would be the one to give you my life story right here and now."

"But I can tell that you might not."

"I am willingly to tell." Drake said. "It's just that on the road, leaving ourselves vulnerable may not be the best option."

"Then let's keep it simple." Madara nodded. "I like inarizushi, I dislike roe, I specialize in different talents which you'll come to see and you already know my goal."

"Well then, as you know, my goal is to become perfect." Drake started. "I like Anima style fried rice and onigiri, I dislike anything less than perfection, any form of weakness and anything too overly spicy…it makes my taste buds go haywire…and my talents like in creating poisons and deciphering hidden meanings."

Madara smirked. "I'll think we'll get along."

Drake just nodded. "I think so too."

"I assume you dislike Saguzar then…so for now, please keep that distain to yourself." Madara told the snake.

"I will admit, that I do dislike that little bat." He said. "But, we are both sworn to you, so I shall stay on friendly terms with him."

"He might be weak in your eyes, but I see potential in him."

"You do?"

"Isn't it our job to bring perfection?" Madara asked. "You seek to become perfect, I seek to make the world perfect. Wouldn't it be our job to make people like him who follow me at least in the direction of perfection?"

"…"

"Anyways, I would like to see you in action." Madara said as a large man was in the middle of the road. "…I can see he's not one for ambushing…"

"Would he perhaps be the boss of the ones you killed early?" Drake asked his leader.

"Probably…plus it would be harder to hide this one." Madara then sat on the ground. "Show me what you got, Drake."

"With pleasure, our gracious leader." The snake hissed as he approached the large man with a club. "I will show you my abilities."

The man with a club lifted the weapon into the palm of his other hand. "Toll booth." He said in a monotone voice.

"Really? A toll booth on a path that no one else had heard of?" he asked the large man. "You must be stupid."

"You gonna pay or not?"

"…Hm…" Drake looked at him for a second. "Sure, let me get my lien…"

As Drake's hand went under his robe, he suddenly made a slashing motion, leaving a cut across the large man's chest.

"It's a shame." He said. "I seem to be out of lien, I'll hope this will suffice."

"Bastard." The large man called out.

"Be honoured. The only reason you're still alive is because I am showing off my abilities to my leader."

Drake easily stepped aside to dodge the clumsy swing. "Madara. This is my weapon. The Kusanagi." He said holding up the katana. "It is an extendable and retractable blade and can transform into a bladed gun."

To show that it could, the weapon changed into a gun as he shot the man's knee who screamed in pain. "However that is not all." The weapon changed back. "I can use lightning dust to increase my blade's cutting power."

Lightning covered and sparked around the blade as Drake effortlessly cut of the man's arm from the shoulder.

"P-Please… STOP!" the man was able to shout out in pain.

"SILENCE!" the faunus shouted before smiling back at Madara. "However, that is the extent of my weapon."

"So it's an all ranged weapon…" Madara mumbled.

Drake's weapon retracted before it was placed away. "Now…I shall show you my semblance."

" _His semblance? I wonder what that will be…_ "

"My semblance is called Leech Life." The faunus explained as he placed his hand on the man's chest. "It allows me to poison an enemy with a touch."

Madara watched as the man was in pain, but when the semblance pain hit him…it was a bit random.

"After infecting one with my semblance, it will cause pain at random intervals." Drake's lips twitched upwards. "And that's not all. I can also use this to suck an opponent's aura into myself therefore extending my own reserves."

"Quite an interesting semblance…is there anything else?"

"There is."

"Mind showing me?"

"I would like to show you, but it seems that this carcass can't hold up for much longer."

"…and the group is getting closer too…" Madara added.

"I will have to show you later, but what I can tell you is because of Kedi's experimentations, it allows us to gain some unique abilities from our animal traits." The snake told the human. "I presume this goes for any of Hund's as well…"

Madara sighed. "You just had to tell me now, didn't you? Now I'm looking forward to it…"

Drake nodded before Madara stood up as they moved the body of the large club wielding man away…and silenced him for good.

"…Here they come." Madara said as he and Drake continued down the path.

"I do have a question for you Madara."

"What is it?"

"As we are travelling right now…where is our main base?"

"…We don't have one."

"You don't?" he asked the human.

"No, I'm actually part of a tribe." Madara revealed. "And we travel a lot."

"I see."

"However, I am planing on making a base for us."

"You are? That would be for the best seeing as your tribe, whether they are, travel a lot." Drake then added. "It will make the others happy with that too."

"May I ask…what type of tribe it is?"

"I think you know, Draco." Madara gave him a look. "Remember what I said early?"

"In order to attain perfection, you must partake in the imperfections." Drake said. "I see…you're in a bandit tribe."

"Well, thanks to me it's known as a mercenary tribe."

"Ah, bandits and mercenaries. That's a nice mix." Drake complimented. "Both are practically the same. Mercenaries kill people for lien as long as they have a bounty and bandits would kill the same people for a number of reasons. A mercenary can kill a town that harbours a bounty and say they were a gang. A bandit can kill a town and claim it was a bounty on the townsfolk."

"Are you the leader?"

"No." Madara said. "I am next in line though."

"Is it a family thing?"

"Yes and no. It's kind of hard to explain."

"Oh, I see a port town further down the road." Drake said as they stopped at the top of the road that gave them a view of the port town.

"Then let's wait here for the others. It won't be too long now." Madara said. " _Hm, that port gives me a good idea…_ "

"Drake, you asked about the location of our base right?"

"I did."

"Well, first we need a location that's tucked away from society and no one will go to for starters."

Drake's eye widened a little. "Are you suggesting…?"

Madara nodded. "We'll rest up tonight…and then, we will set sail."

Drake closed his eye with a smile. "Over the sea, where no one can see us." He said. "Hidden away where no one would think to look. I like your thinking."

"That makes two of us."

* * *

Soon the group had caught up to the duo. "Okay…let's take it slow." Madara said. "…They might be racist against faunus in that port town…"

Madara then looked at the faunus of the group. "So just let everything to me, to protect you guys."

As the entered the port town, they saw the daily catches being sold for an affordable price as the man selling it was trying not to eat it there and then.

"It seems it's a faunus friendly port." Madara said as the cat faunus tried not to eat his products.

Must be torture on the guy…

Madara looked at his shoulder were drool was on his shoulder. "…Do you want a fish, Beltza?"

"N-No!"

"Too bad, your getting fish." He said as he went and bought two fish.

"Here, eat it." Madara said to the shop owner. "You look like your suffering."

The cat faunus gingerly took the fish and bowed to Madara…before eating the fish.

Madara returned and gave the fish to Beltza who started to eat it like it was the first thing she ate in…oh yeah…stasis.

"You guys must be hungry." He said. "Let's buy you some food and get some rest."

The group eagerly agreed to the idea before they went to a local seaside restaurant. Madara covered for the meals as the group ate.

"Are you still thinking of your 'base', leader?" Drake asked in a hushed tone.

"I am…I'm just thinking about what we will need…"

"And what is that?"

"Materials, food, other resources, stuff like that."

"…I see."

"And of course a ship…"

"That is the biggest problem." Drake nodded. "And I doubt you would want any of the sailors and other passengers on the boat to find and no of our base. It would be fine if it were those who would join us..."

"Yeah, but we might have to…for some parts."

"What are you thinking about leader? What are we going to do?"

Madara ate as he glanced to Drake. "We're going on a walk in the pale moonlight."

Drake couldn't help but smirk.

It seemed that they were going to be doing some…midnight shopping.

* * *

It was a foggy night at the docks as two figures made their way through the sleeping port town.

"Hm…"

"What is it?"

"Just thinking of which boat to take, we also don't want them to know we took the obvious ones."

"We could disguise some of us as the crew and then say the ship was attacked by Grimm."

"…That's a good idea." Madara then turned to Drake. "However, the boat is the last of our worries."

Drake nodded. "It's surviving till we reach our base."

"And the part after that." added Madara.

"So we are going to rob them all blind? Shall we add the title of thieves to our bandit and mercenary titles?"

"If you want." He shrugged. "Sadly, I don't think this town will have what I'm after, and if it does, not a lot of it."

"Well, food won't be a problem since people live in this town." Drake pointed out. "And we can check out the warehouse and other businesses."

"Then let's have a look at their wares."

The two came across the warehouse and were able to get inside. "Drake, go and turn off the security."

"Roger."

He watched as Drake slithered away as he walked through the shadows, staying low.

The warehouse was packed with lots of materials that Madara would like to use. The main problem was getting them on a ship.

"The security is offline." Drake said as Madara looked at the snake.

"Good."

The two began to look through the many crates. "Did you find anything in the office?"

"I did." Drake said as he held up some forms. "It seems they or rather we are picking up some shipments from a few stops on the way to our base."

Madara repressed a grin. "Hm, you did a good job." Madara said. "However, these materials here…we should find a way to bring them with us."

"Would you like me to retrieve a ship?"

"I would rather something to carry these crates." Madara said. "The smaller ones are fine, but the bigger and heavier ones are going to be a pain."

Madara's eyes widened. "That's it."

"What?"

"I'll be back."

"Then what shall I do in your absence?"

"Find a boat, enough for us and the materials."

"Roger."

Drake and Madara had split up as the snake faunus went to find a decently sized boat. "Hm…there are a few good ones here." He admitted before looking down at the forms he had retrieved.

" _I will need a cargo ship…but also one with rooms for passengers…_ " Drake then spotted a ship that would be the perfect vessel. "… _A passenger ship._ "

Drake boarded the ship and began to look around.

It seemed like he found a winner.

The ship was an engine-powered ocean liner made mostly out of wood. The rooms within the ship were mostly cabins for the passengers and also could store a lot of cargo down below as well.

It also came with a gangway and cannons on the sides in case of sea-based Grimm attacked.

"Perfect."

It was time to let Madara know that they had a ship.

* * *

Madara was sitting on a crate as he waited for Drake. "I assume you found a ship?" he asked.

"Yes, in dock seven."

"Good." The leader nodded once. "Now, we'll move on to food."

"What about the materials you wanted in the warehouse?"

"Don't worry, I have that covered."

Drake looked at Madara for a second and nodded. "Alright." He said. "Then let's go."

Drake headed off as Madara stopped and turned his head back to the warehouse. "Hear that? Dock seven."

Madara turned back around and kept walking as a tired huff came from the warehouse.

"So are we going to break into a food shop?" asked Drake.

"Practically." The other said. "You searched the ship right?"

"I did."

"Did they have a kitchen?"

"It did." Drake said. "However, not much food was in it. I assume it was because the ship had stopped from its previous journey."

"Would the food be spoiled?"

The snake shrugged. "No idea." He said. "Due to the ship not having anyone on it, we might have to throw it out."

"…Was it in the fridge?"

"It was."

"You checked the dates, right?"

"…"

"Forget it. Focus on getting food first, then sleep after we put it away." Madara said. "We need the sleep."

The two went to the local markets and…politely entered and came out with some…groceries.

"I'm quite surprised that there is no one patrolling the port at night." Drake said.

"Well, keep your guard up." The human told the snake. "We might have to clean the streets if we are caught."

Boarding the ship was easy, like before, and a quick trip to the ship's kitchen, they sorted out what needed to be put away.

Drake raised an eyebrow at what Madara placed near the large fridges. "Are those seeds?"

"Yes, yes they are." The son of Raven said. "Also, it seems our materials arrived safe and sound."

Drake blinked with his one open eye before he and Madara went to the cargo hold…and there it was, the materials that Madara wanted. "…How…?"

"There was some willing help." Madara said. "Now, we better get some sleep before the sun rises."

Drake had to agree to that…he was tired.

* * *

Madara stood on the deck on the ship, as the rest of the group had gotten on. Madara had woken everyone up, except for Zuri who was already up, and got them to board the ship before the sun rose higher and the townsfolk awoke.

"What shall you do, Amber?" Madara asked as they were about to set sail.

"Are you sure this is fine?" she asked as she and Zuri had gotten on the ship, with the white horse down below.

"It's perfectly fine." He assured. "Don't you want to see more of the world?"

"…Yeah."

"And don't worry, you can leave whenever you want too." He added.

"However, we are wasting time." He said as the entered the ship. "We'll be late for the first pickup, go get some sleep fall dancer."

"Stop calling me that!"

Madara watched her walk off before they got the ship started and left the port town. It was too late for the townsfolk to realize that one of their ships had departed, with stolen goods and planning to pick up their shipments.

And thanks to Madara, they wouldn't be able to remember any of their faces.


	18. Providence

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 18: Providence

Sailing on the seas was a nice change.

It was nice having the wind breeze through your hair, and the smell of the ocean water was a nice addition.

Madara was currently typing as someone else took the helm for today.

"What are you doing?" Amber asked as she approached Madara.

"Not much. Just working on something." He replied without even looking in her direction.

"And what's that?"

"Work." He said as he refused to look at her.

"What type of work?" she asked leaning closer to see what he was working on.

"Business work." He told her.

"…That doesn't really tell me much."

"Your practically leaning over my shoulder looking at what I'm doing." He said. "Surely, you can see what I'm doing."

Amber pouted as her chin rested on his shoulder. "Maybe I'm asking because I can't tell what it is?"

Madara glanced at her this time. "You know…you don't sound so confident."

"Just tell me..."

Madara turned his gaze back to the terminal he was working on that was within the ship.

"Have a look." He said as she saw a symbol, or rather what she assumed to be a symbol.

"A cloud?" she asked. "Why do you have a red cloud?"

"Symbolism, Amber."

"And what's that supposed to symbolize?" she asked. "The evening with the clouds change colour due to the setting sun?"

"No."

"…"

"…"

"Are you going to tell me?"

"The red cloud symbolizes the that there is still hope for a better tomorrow." He said. "The cloud represents dreams and your own personal cloud nine and the colour red is for passion, joy, strength, courage, vigour, willpower, action, radiance and determination."

"And both of the together…is the world your seeking?" she asked.

Madara nodded. "You are correct."

" _It actually represents the blood of those who were killed by us…_ " Madara thought to himself and the bandit raids. " _But…I do like the other meaning too…_ "

"So what's it for?"

"Just something that will come into play at a later date."

"And what's it got to do with the computer?" she asked as he saw him send an email shortly after she took her eyes of the screen. "What did you just send?"

"I told you, something that will come at a later date."

She was about to say something as Saguzar had walked in. "M-Madara. W-We are coming up on the first stop."

"Thank you, Saguzar." The Branwen said as he stood and closed the terminal.

"Where did you get that from?" Amber asked.

"Well, I did some shopping. I fought why not." Madara said with a shrug.

The blindfolded faunus pointed as the two stood on the deck. "See, over there."

"Yes, our first stop."

"Um, if I-I may…why are we picking up these shipments?"

"That will be explained in good time." Madara said.

It didn't take long for the ship to reach the harbour before they went to collect the shipments and with a quick show of documentation, they gathered the materials from the harbour before setting off again.

Madara looked at the cargo hold and nodded to himself.

It was a good amount, just a few more left.

The trip was nice, meals been prepared for those who wanted it as they kept heading on the way to the next pick up.

However, their main direction they were heading was south.

* * *

"Here's the shipment." A man said as the crates were loaded onto the ship.

"Thanks."

"Um…is there a reason you're using a passenger ship for cargo?"

Madara looked at the man who shrunk back at the gaze. "Our other ship is going through maintenance after a surprise Grimm attack." He explained. "This was the only ship that we could take."

"Oh…I apologize for that…" the man bowed. "But at least no one was harmed."

"That's right." Madara looked down at the docket. It seemed they collected crates of dust.

"Oh yeah, the second shipment was also delivered down below."

"…Thanks."

"Well I'll be off now." The man said before he walked off.

Madara looked down at the attached slip. "…It seems Zuri won't be alone down below…"

Soon the ship sailed off from its last stop as they continued their journey south.

"Where are we off to captain?" Potoo asked as he was currently sailing the ship.

"Keep going south from where we are. It might take more than a day, but we should soon see our destination."

"Where are we headed?" the snake faunus, Drake asked.

"Our course is the waters around Menagerie."

"The faunus island?" asked Potoo.

"The very same, however we are not stopping there."

"…I think I see what your saying." The snake said.

"Yes, a good idea for our base is somewhere where they can't find us." Madara said. "And who would suspect near Menagerie?"

"I can see where you are coming from." Potoo said. "With Menagerie's wildlife and how dangerous it is as well as it being two-thirds desert, they are unable to head further into the continent and expand."

"Even simply hiding in the uninhabited areas of the continent will do just fine."

"But that won't stop any time of faunus who could be able to venture out and survive in the desert climates." Madara pointed out. "Keep on course. Warn us if you spot any Grimm, or it attacks us."

"Right, right…" the old man sighed.

* * *

Later that night, as they took turns sailing and sleeping, the cannons fired.

A large sea-based Grimm clicked and whistled as the cannons hit it.

"That's a big one." Madara muttered prepared to fight.

The Grimm was that of a white whale with a black Grimm-mask. It was a rare Grimm compared to other whale grimm.

It was a Mobius Rich.

And it was ramming them.

The cannons continued to fire at the Grimm as Madara surveyed the damage. "Nothing lost. Good." He then jumped over the edge as Amber was using her staff to shot fire dust at the large Grimm.

He landed on the Grimm's head as Drake stopped firing and threw his lightning dust imbued sword at the Grimm.

As the weapon pierced itself on the Grimm, Madara picked up the sword and began slashing before a final stab as he pulled the blade to the side leading the whale Grimm away.

"He's driving it away…" Saguzar noted.

"Seems like it." Slange said as he watched.

The cannons continued to fire but soon after the next volley of cannonballs, they brought an impressive heavy cannon from the below the bow of the ship and aimed it towards the whale Grimm.

Unlike the cannons in the side of the ship, the one at the bow could aim anywhere…well almost anywhere.

The heavy cannon fired at the Grimm as it tried to get rid of the pest on its back.

The cannon landed its hit as Madara struggled to stay on due to how close the explosion was.

" _Shit._ "

"Charge the cannon for one final shot!" shouted out Drake.

"B-But, Madara is still on that thing." The shy bat said.

Slange just turned his head towards the bat. "Then you should get a move on then."

"H-Huh?" the bat faunus asked.

"Yeah! Yeah! That's right, you should go get him!" Topaz smiled.

"B-But…"

Saguzar turned back the Grimm and then to the charging cannon.

"That Grimm is going to ram us again." Amber said. "And the cannon is going to fire before it reaches us. I say you have enough time."

Saguzar turned and ran…

"Where's he going?" Beltza asked.

Slange just turned back to the Grimm. "Definitely not what all of you are thinking…its pretty low here."

As this was going on, Madara had cut off one of the Grimm's fins. " _I just got to keep you busy when the cannon hits._ " He thought as he moved the blade in his body left and right to keep it in place, it was still moving forward, but directly in front of the cannon. " _I rather not lose a ship or the materials._ "

On top of the ship, the bat faunus jumped off at the highest point as the material under his arms expanded to reveal a deployable wingsuit.

"So that's what was under his arm and connected to his racing jacket the whole time." Topaz said as the all watched as Saguzar flew off with impressive speed.

Madara took out the sword as the Grimm approached the ship with newfound speed despite it losing one fin. He looked up to see the cannon now firing its shot.

Unlike any other heavy cannon on a ship like this, the cannon was upgraded to not only fire more powerful cannonballs, but also charge up and fire a laser.

Of course it used dust to fire and while it's firing it could still be turned.

Madara jumped before he was grabbed by Saguzar's bat-like feet and he watched as the laser hit the Grimm, killing it for good.

" _I got to thank Drake and Slange for upgrading that cannon._ " He thought before he heard Saguzar talk to him.

"S-Sorry…but I don't think we have enough air to get back to the ship."

"It's fine. Do you see an island or something?"

"Um…there's a large areas of rock."

"Then land there."

"O-Okay, b-boss!" the faunus stuttered.

* * *

It was a rather rough landed for the two…a very rough one indeed.

Madara blinked as he looked down to see the black cloth that covered Saguzar's eyes. It was then he realized that the bat faunus was practically shivering.

Madara realized what happened and stood up. "Sorry Saguzar."

Madara paid no mind to the bat faunus' nervous stuttering as he picked up Drake's weapon.

"…We must be close to Menagerie." He said while looking up. The sun was already setting.

"Y-You think so?"

"I'm positively certain."

"W-Wait up!" the bat called out as he went to catch up with the slightly older teen.

The bat climbed some rocks as he followed Madara before Madara sat down. "Sit." He said with authority, to which the bat did as he was told. "This is the highest point closest to us…the ship is heading in our direction, but…Menagerie is in that direction."

"…I-I see…"

* * *

It was now dawn as those involved with the Mobius Rich last night had gotten sufficient rest.

"I can see Menagerie." Beltza said. "What now?"

Madara looked down at a map of Remnant. "We go around the east side."

"So take a left."

"Yes." Madara said. "Judging from where we left from the last dock, then going around the left would prove faster."

"And plus the main dock into the village there is on the far right too." Potoo said.

"Exactly, more reason to go left."

Madara felt his clothing tugged as he looked down at Topaz. "Is there something the matter?"

"Look!" the fox girl pointed up.

Madara gaze up as he saw not only birds fly above, but what seemed to be…a shooting star?

There were no clouds in the sky as both he and Topaz watched the 'shooting star' come and go. "Make a wish! But don't tell!"

"…Right." He said as he blinked.

"You got to close your eyes!"

"Okay, okay…" he closed his eyes. "… _A shooting star in the day? That's even rarer than a shooting star at night._ "

He opened his eyes back to clear blue sky. " _Maybe it is a sign of good fortune?_ "

The ship continued its course as it sailed around the east side of Menagerie while still keeping away from the land.

Madara was currently at the helm as Amber was on the lookout. "Hey…Madara…" she called out causing him to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

"On that map…Menagerie was the only one here…correct?"

"Yes, why?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Well…on the starboard side, there seems to be an island."

" _An island?_ " he wondered. "How big is it?"

"Can't tell for sure, but it is big." She said. "It's nowhere as big as any of the continents maybe a large island similar to Patch, maybe bigger or smaller."

"Hm, to the south east of Menagerie is an uncharted large island?" he said to himself. "We're going in."

The ship sailed to the large island that was spotted. The closer the ship got, the slower the ship went in case of shallow water.

The passenger ship came to a halt as a gangway was deployed.

Madara walked onto the gangway as he looked back at the group. "I'm going to go on ahead." He said. "Any of you want to tag along?"

"You going to scout it out?" asked Potoo and getting a nod from his pseudo-grandson.

"I'll go!" Topaz shouted cheerfully.

"It is an uncharted large island…" Drake said. "I suppose I can look around and see if there are any unique herbs here."

"A team of three sounds good." Madara said. "But four would be better. Okay, last one?"

"I'll go." The lion faunus said. "I'm just glad to be off that boat."

"What's wrong?" Beltza asked. "Was the kitty scared of the water?"

Saja turned to Beltza and growled. "You're a cat too you know." The lioness said with a grin. "Weren't you afraid of the water?"

Beltza looked away as the other feline faunus laughed.

"That's enough." Madara said. "You all stay on the ship til we return. The rest of us are going to explore the land."

The island was a decent size from what Madara could tell, unlike the neighbouring which was two-thirds desert; it had green grass as far as the eyes could see from their location.

However, it might contain some desert area yet.

"It's actually a nice looking place." Saja said as she lied on the soft grass. "The sun feels nice, the grass is soft…I could live here."

"I second that!" Topaz said as she lied next to Saja.

A gentle breeze passed by as Drake looked at their leader. "This is the place." Madara said. "This is the place to build our base."

"So that's why we gathered the materials…" Drake said.

"Yes, but that's not all." Madara turned his head to him. "Because this is our base, it's also going to be our home. Therefore, our base is going to be a town, a village."

Madara turned back as he looked at the scenery. "I got just the name for it." He said.

"What's that?" Saja asked from the ground.

"Providence."

"Is that the town or the island?"

"Both."

"Aw…does that mean we are going to work?" Topaz asked.

"Yes, yes it does." Madara said. "That is unless you want to sleep outside?"

"But we got a ship!"

"Indeed we do."

"A ship with comfy beds!" she said as she remembered the beds.

"I know, I slept on one." He told her. "However, what if the boat gets destroyed by a Grimm? What if, we become stranded here?"

Topaz pouted. "…Fine…I'll help…" she gave in. "No need to say any more."

"Perfect." Madara turned around and headed off to the ship. "Let's unload these materials and start working."

* * *

"So…Providence?" asked Potoo as Madara used some tools that were stored away.

"I gave it that name due to protection that will be for this settlement."

"I see…so what are we working on first?"

"Houses, for starters." He said.

Potoo continued work with Madara as they kept talking. "What materials do we have?"

"We got wood, steel, metal, cement, cloth, ceramic, glass, plastic, iron, dust…"

"I see…and what else are we going to make?"

"A farm…and maybe a greenhouse for rarer herbs." His grandson said. "We currently built an area to keep some of the animals in as well as some good soil to plant seeds to grow crops."

"…Just how big are you going to make this 'base', Madara?"

"…As big as I need it to be."

Madara then looked over to the soon-to-be farm that had the animals. Currently there were sheep, cows and pigs.

Chickens were also there too, along with Zuri standing over there with the other animals.

"We would also need a proper dock for the boat."

"…You seem to have a lot in mind for this 'base' you know." Potoo chuckled. "I guess a place to stay instead of moving all the time is good."

"…Yeah…"

"I bet you have more in mind for this place rather than just a base."

"Hm? Why's that?"

"Just a hunch, just a hunch." The old man said. "…Just like the hunch I have when I walk these days."

As Potoo chuckled, Madara groaned.

* * *

Later that evening, Jacques Schnee was currently sitting in his office after another day of running the company.

He was about to leave his comfy chair before an email had popped up.

His eyes narrowed before he lowered himself back into the chair. He was positively certain he had made it clear that any serious email would have to be sent during the working hours otherwise it'll be lost to the thousands of other junk emails and emails that would come afterwards.

After a quick look, he saw that the email was sent yesterday and only just arrived now. He briefly wondered why it took so long to get to him and after seeing the subject of the email being important, he decided to take a look.

As he opened the email, he was greeted to the sight of a red cloud before he begun to read the message.

" _Good evening, morning, or afternoon Mr Schnee. I apologize for the potential delay of the email as I have set it up as such to make sure it reaches you during working hours._ " Jacques raised an eyebrow as he continued reading. " _You already know me as we have met before, I am Madara._ "

" _As you are reading this, my branch is ready to be publicly announced. The symbol you are currently seeing which is a red cloud is the symbol of my branch. We are ready to make the branch public to everyone rather than a select few like yourself, sir._ " The head of the company kept reading the email now that he knew who it was from. " _Akatsuki is open for business._ "

Jacques leaned back at this new information.

He had sent out that bounty and expected a bloody job with three dead corpses. Instead, he got a clean job with three still breathing men, which were severely punished.

His expectations were pretty low, but he seemed to get the hand of a high quality business. A business that used hunters and huntress that he saw as barbaric and made them do jobs those only experienced bounty hunters could do.

When one saw a bounty, some saw it as a chance to kill without consequences. Some killed and never thought about leaving the target alive so they could get the dough quickly.

It was rare for a bounty to come in alive.

This group, branch…no, organization had the patience and the skill to bring in bounties alive.

He tapped his finger on the desk as he went over the email once more.

It seemed the organization was ready and it hadn't been too long since he met Madara.

He had to admit, he did see the fruits of their labour. He leaned back into his seat…he had made up his mind.

Akatsuki…

…He was definitely going to hire them in the future…and he knew some close acquaintances that would like to know of this group seeing as they asked how the three criminals were apprehended…so recommendations were also going to be sent.

It was then set in stone as Jacques leaned in and typed into the email.

From this day, Jacques was a client of the Akatsuki.

 **Anyways, let's talk Naruto. The Final episode was…more emotional than I thought it was going to be. I got to say, it was a nice way to send off the series.**


	19. A Growing Home

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY**_

Chapter 19: A Growing Home

"…This was a mistake…" Madara groaned as he leaned back into a chair.

It had been six months since they started to build Providence.

He stood up as he looked out of the window of a newly built office. His eyes looked down at the village that was Providence, remembering clearly at how within three months, the village grew.

* * *

"Phew…another house complete…" Saja said as she wiped her forehead as they completed another house.

"…I think we need to get some furniture…" Amber said as she threw a bottle of water to Saja.

"Thanks."

Madara looked over to the house they completed. Currently, they were focusing on doing log cabins and wooden houses with what looked like metal sheet-like roofs.

" _Furnishings would be good too. But, this is our second house we worked on…we need more hands to lower time to build these houses…_ " Madara looked back to the ship. " _Sure, the second house needs some more work, but at least one house can provide shelter._ "

" _However sailing back to other continents would take days…our only option is Menagerie…_ " Madara turned back to the group. "Okay, guys gather around."

The group gathered around as Madara begun to tell them of his plan. "It's apparent we need more hands and also furniture for our houses." He said. "However, our only option we have to get furniture and hands is Menagerie."

"Menagerie? But they hate humans." Slange said. "If you go, then you won't be getting a warm welcome."

"I wouldn't call to quickly on that." Potoo said. "While they aren't too fond of humans, that doesn't mean that wouldn't tolerate them. There have been human-ran ships that stop in Menagerie."

"And while numbers are low, that doesn't mean that there aren't any humans on Menagerie."

"Oh yeah…they gave the land to the faunus but it was originally inhabited by tribes…wasn't it?" asked Beltza.

"…I w-wonder…what type of tribes inhabited the island." Saguzar thought aloud. "I-I'm kinda curious."

" _Tribes, tribes on Menagerie?_ " he thought to himself with a glance to the old man. "Anyways, enough about that…since Menagerie is home to a majority of faunus…Saguzar and you two snakes are coming with me."

"Y-You can count on me!"

"Why us though?" Slange asked.

"Thank you Saguzar, head to the boat." Madara watched as Saguzar ran to the boat as he waved everyone else to go and do whatever.

"Saguzar's shyness will keep me in line if any 'fights' break out." He said. "And with you too, it should be quite obvious."

"Ah, I see. You are going to be Saguzar's bodyguard in a sense while we are going to be yours and if needed be the ones to negotiate." Drake clicked.

"Yes, head to the boat, judging from the times it took to get here from around the waters near Menagerie, it'll only take at least an hour or so."

As Madara watched as the two snakes left. He approached the old man.

"Potoo…"

"Hm?" he turned around. "Yes Madara?"

"I have a question…about the tribes of Menagerie."

Potoo sighed. "I knew you were going to ask that…"

"You seemed to know quite a bit of Menagerie."

"Of course I would know."

"And why's that old man?"

"Because Madara…our tribe…originated from Menagerie."

Madara's eyes widened as he heard the information Potoo told him. Their tribe…was originally a tribe from Menagerie?!

"You know our training and survival methods of the tribe?" the previous leader asked. "Well…that very same training course allows us to survive against the wildlife and desert of Menagerie."

"That's…that's news to me…"

"I know…our tribe was and still is a tribe of Menagerie. We still have the customs of the old tribe…"

"So…when humans gave faunus the land…they drove us out?"

"Not exactly…however, while they are a lot better now…way back then the faunus who saw it as a slap to the face…drove the tribes out no matter the cost…"

Madara gripped his fist.

While he had no idea if his mother's ancestors originated from Menagerie, his tribe did and he was a part of that tribe.

Therefore, Menagerie was his ancestral homeland.

The tightening of his fists stopped as he raised his gaze back to Potoo. "…Thank you for telling me about this Po…no…Gramps."

Potoo's eyes widened as Madara had practically called him grandpa.

"It's good to know more of the tribe's past…and it should be acknowledged and remembered." He said as he headed for the ship. "I'll be back in an hour or two at the very least."

* * *

Madara leaned over the railing as he they sailed towards Menagerie…his mind plagued with the thought of the tribe's origin in Menagerie.

"A-Are you okay?" asked the bat faunus.

"Yeah…I'm fine." He replied. "I was just thinking of my family's origins."

"You're family?"

"…You'll find out soon enough."

"We're nearing Menagerie!"

* * *

Madara and the gang had just stepped off their boat as they walked into Menagerie.

Madara heard the muttering about a human walking with faunus or if he was a faunus with 'lucky' traits and ignored them. He followed behind Saguzar with Drake and Slange on his sides.

"So…where do we head?" Slange asked.

"There." Madara pointed to a large mansion. "My money is whoever lives there, is the leader of these people."

"Then let's pick up the pace." Drake said getting annoyed by the stares directed to either Madara…or the experimented faunus.

Saguzar had bumped into a random faunus which caused the faunus he bumped into to turn around. "Oi! Watch-" the male faunus was cut off as he received a death stare from Madara.

A stare that could kill a man in a second!

Saguzar seemed to notice this. "M-Madara, it was just an accident!" he stuttered.

The killer gaze stopped as he looked at the bat faunus. "You sure? It looked like he was going to attack you."

Madara inwardly smirked as he saw the looks on the faunus around them.

"L-Let's just head to the leader's place, okay?"

"…" Madara stared the man in the eye for a few seconds that felt like minutes, unblinking. "…Fine."

The headed towards the large mansion as a faunus stopped them. "Hey, human!" yet another faunus said. "Where do you think you're going?"

Madara continued past him. "It matters not to you."

"You can't stroll on in here like you own the place like it's your home human!" the faunus, which was a canine typed faunus, shouted.

"Oi! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He grabbed Madara's shoulder. "Don't you dare stroll in here! After what you damn humans done to us!"

Madara gripped his fist as Drake warned the canine faunus. "If you don't let go of him, you will either die right here and now…or be in a lot of pain."

"I don't give a flying fuck! His kind shouldn't be here! And why are you standing up for a pathetic human!"

"He's not pathetic!" Saguzar shouted with confidence.

"What have you done to these faunus human?!" the canine gritted his teeth. "What type of brainwashing or hypnosis have you put on them?!"

"I've done nothing…now, if you don't let go…I'll hurt you so bad, you'll lose your legs and maybe even your arms." Madara said calmly.

"Bull-fucking-shit!" the canine pulled back his fist before he spat out blood as Madara elbowed him with all his strength.

He quickly turned around and grabbed the faunus' face and squeezed…tightly.

"Don't you ever. Do. That. Again!" he growled out while still sounding calm, tranquil even, before throwing the faunus into one of the trees that grew here.

"Tch…weak." He whispered under his breath.

However once he turned around, he saw a tall, muscular man with black hair, a beard and yellow eyes.

He wore an open dark violet coat with white fur trim, exposing his hairy chest, beige pants with a matching sash that went with his coat that wrapped around his waist and is secured with a large, silver metal buckle. On his shoulder is a silver metal spaulder, which through a pair of curved strips across the chest attaches as a clasp on the opposite front pant of his coat. He also wore black leather boots which had a shape reminiscent of paws with claws at the tips which were white.

However, he was not alone.

Right next to him was a woman, which Madara assumed was the man's significant other.

She was a cat faunus who also had black hair and yellow eyes. Her hair was short with a pair of cat ears on her head which had gold piercings in them, two on the right and one on the left.

She wore a black hakama and sandals with white tabi socks. Over her outfit was a black shrug with a long right sleeve and a short left sleeve with gold leaf trim along the opening on the front. On both of her arms she wore long, black arm warmers that extend to the middle finger. The one on the left had a purple band tied around the top and a pair of gold bangles around her wrists, and around her waist was a black and gold sash that trails behind her with a gold flower-shaped buckle at the end.

"Human." He said as he looked at Madara.

"Faunus." Madara said back looking into the eyes of the faunus.

"Why did you attack one of my people?"

"You saw everything." Madara said to the large faunus.

"Did I?"

"It's hard to ignore someone who exposes chest hair like that, and the fact you stick out of the crowd when people are slightly nodding and bowing to you."

The large faunus sighed. "Yes, I did see what happened."

"Ghira…" the canine groaned from the tree.

"…Silence!" The faunus, called Ghira, told the faunus. "I saw what you did."

"B-But…the human." The canine struggled to stand up.

"You're lucky you can still stand, and did you forget there are a few humans that come on those ships?" he asked. "Don't go and attack every human you see, or you'll endanger everyone who lives here."

"Our apologizes." The woman bowed. "My name is Kali and as you heard, this is my husband Ghira."

"I am the chieftain of Menagerie." Ghira said. "Now what brings you here along with these faunus?"

"I am the founder and leader of the Akatsuki." Madara said. "A mercenary group comprised of both humans and faunus."

Ghira and Kali's eyes widened at hearing that. "And…I'm also the founder of a growing settlement for our members…and maybe some more…" he whispered the last part under his breath.

" _Founder of a village and a mercenary group?_ " the leader of the faunus of Menagerie thought. " _But…he is the same age as my daughter…wait…his eyes. They are the eyes of a man who has seen the horrors and corruption of the world._ "

"And I am here…to ask for some helping hands." Madara said. "We need to build our settlement, and we have the resources, we lack the hands needed to build buildings."

"So you came here to ask for help?" he asked. "And what's in it for us?"

"In terms of settlements? An alliance." He said. "In terms of hiring the Akatsuki, if you wish too that is, not too much aside from a temporary discount which will last for a few short years."

"A discount? That's it?"

"We are a business, and we do have mouths to feed." Madara said. "A majority of us isn't even over where we are building yet…and it'll be a shame if they come to a new home they can live in peace and not have any shelter to stay."

"And we will also pay for the helping hands in construction."

Ghira crossed his arms with his kept his eyes closed. "Hm…a discount, alliance and pay?" he asked. "…"

"Don't do it…Ghira." The canine wheezed out.

"There are plenty of people who could do this for you besides us, and we can even trust you…your companions we can trust to a degree, but you? We're still…bitter about some things in the past."

"So am I."

Ghira opened his eyes. "You are?"

"Yes, just like you don't forget, never do I."

"And pray tell, go ahead and tell me, how have your ancestors suffered, suffered like us?" Ghira bellowed.

"Ghira…" Kali whispered his name in a not so subtle manner. He was getting a bit too heated…

"You know damn well." The human told the faunus as his red eyes shined brightly.

"While your race as suffered, you treated it as if only your race has suffered! How ignorant of you, everyone suffers, we all bleed the same, we all breath the same air, there's a limit to how much you can push."

"…" the faunus all watched and listened to Madara.

"When you all saw it as a slap to a face to be sent here, you drove out the tribes that lived here." As soon as Madara said this, Ghira and Kali's eyes were like saucers. "No matter the cost, you directed your betrayed anger at the tribes that lived here! Not only did you forcefully drive them out, you also killed those that refused to leave! When they were willingly to share the land with you, but you had to refuse peaceful negotiations because you were 'bitter' over being sent here."

"You're…"

"That's right!" Madara placed his fist over his heart. "I am the descendant of the tribes that used to live here before you drove us out! I am a native of Menagerie!"

"A member of the old tribes?" a faunus asked.

"…I… I can't believe there still out there today." Another said.

"Yeah…those guys were apparently super tough!" a third said. "Enough to survive the harsh deserts and wildlife of Menagerie!" there was some excitement in the female faunus' voice.

" _It seems they tried to study up on Madara's tribe._ " Drake thought as he looked around. " _Whether out of how to try and adapt to the environment…or out of guilt…_ "

"You treated the members of my tribe, exactly how humans outside of Menagerie's tribes treated you." Madara said. "I don't know about you…but from a group that proclaims to aim for equality between humans and faunus, treating a innocent group like how you were treated sounds hypocritical to me."

There were murmurs among the faunus as Ghira and Kali looked at Madara in a new light. "I…can't believe those tribes still exist to this day." He said.

They did treat the old tribes like how they were treated and even resorted to bloodshed.

While they had numbers, the old tribes were very strong.

And now they were paying for their actions, unable to adapt and live in the desert areas of Menagerie and even how to deal with the wildlife that took more lives than they could save.

It was a harsh place to survive…

"…Come with me." He said. "Come with me to the mansion."

"I'll stay with the ship." Drake said as he turned around and headed back to the ship.

"It's pretty hot out here…I'll leave it too you, Madara." Slange said as he followed the other snake faunus.

"Are you coming then, Saguzar?" Madara asked as the bat nodded.

Madara and Saguzar followed the married couple to their mansion and entered it after them.

The two found themselves on the lounge or couch, depending on what you personally call it.

Saguzar was sitting a bit too close to Madara…but in a stranger's house, enemy territory and his shyness, it was understandable.

"Would you like some tea?" Kali asked politely.

"Y-Yes please." The bat faunus nodded.

She giggled at the faunus' shyness. She gave him a cup and offered one to Madara, how took it carefully.

Ghira on the other hand was sitting across from the two as his wife sat next to him. "So you are a part of the old tribes that originated from here?"

"I am." Madara said as Saguzar drank his tea. "…Why the sudden change?"

Madara took a sip of his tea before continuing. "It wasn't really till I brought up my tribe that you sudden decided to bring us into your home."

Ghira sighed as he was hunched over with his arms resting on his knees. "The older generations…were a bit to rash…and I apologize." He said. "It's like killing the one who wants to help you while keeping the one who sabotages you alive. Your tribe had the skills to live here…skills we do not."

"So you just want our tribe techniques and skills?" Madara asked.

"No. Even if we learnt them…it wouldn't feel right." He said. "That would be like having your birthright taken from you and given to someone who doesn't deserve it and abuses it later on."

"So it's guilt?"

"Yes…especially…when some of those same tribe members were faunus who fought with the human tribe members, against their own kind." The faunus continued. "While the faunus members were low in the old tribes, or should I just say tribe now? Anyway, we killed the only ones who had managed to have true peace between humans and faunus… and we-"

"…Are trying to make that same peace between humans and faunus again." Madara finished. "But it's not working as well as our tribe."

"Exactly." He nodded. "…That's why the White Fang exists today."

"…You're a part of the White Fang?"

"I was the former leader of it." He told the two. "We are still trying to make peace…but, we just didn't feel right about killing those who achieved our dream before us."

" _So he doesn't know of the White Fang's dramatic change?_ " the black haired teen thought as he took a sip of tea.

Kali nodded at her husband's words. "When the White Fang was created, the old tribes were brought up of having already achieved this peace between the two…and now they were dead."

" _Feeling guilt for the ones that were killed…I can see where you both are coming from._ " Madara placed the now empty cup of tea down.

"I suppose it's in the past now, no way to change it now." He said. "All we can do is set the wrongs right and look toward the future."

"That's true." Kali said.

Madara glanced to Saguzar and back to the married couple. " _I'm surprised they haven't brought up Saguzar's multiple faunus traits…_ " he then stood up. "Excuse me, where's the bathroom?"

Kali politely pointed down the hall and gave directions which Madara nodded and left.

Ghira sent his gaze to the faunus boy, who now seemed even shyer and nervous. "…Saguzar was it?" he asked. "…Why do you have multiple faunus traits?"

"I…I…"

Kali saw the scared expression on the boy's face and turned to her husband. "Ghira…!" Kali scolded her husband. "Can't you see that he's scared and nervous?"

"S-Sorry…"

"If you don't mind…can you tell us? Or me?"

Saguzar looked around the room, despite being blindfolded by black cloth. "I…was experimented on…"

"Black Claw…" Ghira grunted. He had heard how two faunus started to experiment on faunus after creating their own subgroup.

He then looked back up to Saguzar. "Why do you follow Madara?" he asked. "I'm curious."

"He…saved me."

"Saved you? …How?"

"…W-When we were experimented on, we were kept in stasis with no signs of waking up." He started to retell the story. "Then, he came in and woke us up. Regardless of whom we were, and since we had nowhere to go, he offered us a place to stay, as a group, our own family. He accepted us."

"You know…you can stay here." Ghira offered. "We have plenty of room despite how 'cramped' it can be at times."

"I'm sorry." Saguzar said. "I will have to refuse your offer."

Ghira stood up looking all menacing. "Even if I have to force you?" he asked.

"Even if you break every bone in my body." The bat faunus stood up too. "I will not leave Madara's side!"

Ghira looked at the boy before sitting back down.

"…That's some commitment you have boy." He said. "Despite how shy you are, you're willing to stand up against me…I admire that."

Kali just clapped her hands together. "Does that mean you are accepting him?" the way she said that, wasn't just accepting him as a person.

Ghira, who took a sip of his own tea, immediately spat it out. "No way!" he coughed out.

Saguzar just titled his head in a way Kali would call cute. "What do you mean by accepting me?" he asked causing Ghira to cough more and Kali to gush at how cute he was being.

Meanwhile, outside Madara was leaning on the wall with his arms and eyes crossed only now opening a single eye.

A small smile graced his lips as he headed back inside.

"I'm back, what did I miss?" he asked.

"Not much~" the cat faunus said slyly.

"Sure." He dragged the word out before sitting back down.

"Anyways, back to business." Madara said. "Are we going to be working together? I ask because we still need some willing helpers. I will still pay you for the work."

"No, no." Ghira said. "Your tribe is practically our ancestors. Since your tribe is still alive, consider it atonement."

"Well, it you refuse lien, then I'll keep trade routes open, along with an alliance between Menagerie and us." Madara said. "It doesn't feel right if we don't give you something in return, and if you call upon Akatsuki services which all you need to find is look up, we are willingly to make that discount last much longer than before."

"Very well, it doesn't seem like I can persuade you from not offering those in return." He said. "I will gather a team of those I trust with my life and hold no resentment for humans. We will help you build a proper settlement."

Madara stood and bowed towards the large man. "Thank you, Ghira."

"It's nothing." Ghira said. "I will also be coming along."

"If you don't mind me asking. What is the name of your village?"

"It's not just a village, but also a large island close by." He said. "Both the island and the village is called Providence."

"Ah, you named it after protection."

"Yes, while not divine, it serves to protect those who live there."

As Ghira began to move, Madara stopped him. "Ghira, I have noticed that this town is a bit cramped."

"It is."

"I was wondering…out of the few faunus who live here, how about let them live in Providence?"

"Offering a place for them to stay?"

"Well, it's not super cramped, but from what I can see, you have limited space…especially if there is a baby boom or more faunus coming back to live here." He said. "You also mentioned the White Fang and who knows how many White Fang live here in this town alone."

"…You're right." Ghira said. "When the White Fang's purpose comes to an end, many faunus will come back here…making it even more cramped than ever. We did plan on expansion…but there's quite a lot to worry about at the moment."

"No worries." The teen said.

"I assume you need some professions there too." Kali spoke up.

"Yes, but that can come later." He said as Saguzar placed his cup down and thanked Kali for the tea. "Houses and buildings come first."

"I'll meet you on the ship." Ghira said. "Kali, please take care of things here."

She gave him a mock salute. "You got it hubby!"

Madara had walked Saguzar out of the building to save Ghira from the embarrassment.

"T-That went better than I thought." The bat said.

"Yeah, it went better than I expected too." Madara looked around at the chatting faunus around them. They were no longer talking about new looking faunus and a human, but rather that the tribes from long ago still existed.

As Madara and Saguzar walked to the ship, Ghira and Kali watched them from their mansion.

"…Those two are quite fine young men." He said.

"Ah, so you admire both of them?" his wife asked getting a nod.

"Yes, it's been a long time since I saw a person like that Madara."

"So you're accepting of Madara too~!" she cooed and teased. "But you can only choose one."

Kali then took a more serious expression. "I do have to say…he, Madara, remind me a lot of you…"

"Does he?" he asked. "No wonder it felt kind of familiar…"

"If he is like you and Blake is like me…" she trailed off.

"K-KALI!" her husband shouted more in shock and disbelief.

She only laughed enjoying every moment…

…Seems she wasn't serious in the first place…

* * *

Madara was looking at the markets before hopping onto the ship. He had bought an apple before he walked onto the gangway where the trio was waiting for him.

He stopped as he saw a young faunus looking into the sea sadly.

"…Are you okay kid?" he asked.

"No…" the kid sniffled. He had a tail that long, coarse, grey and black hairs on its dorsal surface and had a bristly tuft. His hair was a similar colour to his tail.

If Madara had to assume, he would be a chinchilla.

"What happened?" he asked kneeling.

"I dropped my apple…I even bought it with my allowance."

"And it's in the water?" he asked as the kid nodded. "I see, then it's at the bottom if it's not floating…here."

"Huh?"

The kid saw the apple Madara was handing him. "Are you sure mister?"

"I'm positive." He handed the apple over and went to board the ship. "Try not to drop that one."

"O-Okay!" the chinchilla faunus said as he ran off.

Madara shrugged as he boarded the ship. Was it a waste of lien? No.

Kindness like that nowadays was taken for granted.

"Now we wait." Madara said as he sat while waiting for Ghira to arrive. In the meantime he updated the Akatsuki with various jobs.

The missions the Akatsuki would take where similar to the jobs normal hunters would do.

The missions included Search and Rescue, Search and Destroy, Perimeter Defence, Village Security, Bounty and Escort.

The difference between Akatsuki's prices and other hunter prices was that Akatsuki's prices were cheaper than most other prices.

The cheaper prices were sure to get the attention of those looking to hire hunters.

And once business started rolling, as well as recommendations that would be given out, it wouldn't take long for word to spread.

All that they had to do was sit back and wait for a job to roll in. But first thing's first.

They had a village to finish.

* * *

Ghira had arrived as Madara saw the faunus volunteers behind him.

It was more than he had expected.

"…This is all volunteers?" he asked.

"What? Weren't you expecting this many?" the large faunus asked.

"…No…I didn't… I was expecting much less." Madara admitted. "Time to set sail team."

The ship left the docks of Menagerie from the town of Kuo Kuana.

After sailing on the seas and chatting with the friendly faunus, they had arrived at Menagerie.

"It mightn't seem like much, but it has potential and needs some work." Madara said as they disembarked. "I should thank you in advance for this."

Ghira noticed that there were only two humans here aside from Madara. "Who is that old man?" asked Ghira.

"That's Potoo…my grandfather and last leader of the tribe." Madara said. "Our other tribe members are currently not with us as I told you before."

"You can go talk to him if you wish." Madara said.

"I think I will..." The feline faunus said. "Till then, I will help with the construction."

"Very will."

"So what needs to come first?"

"Houses and homes come first." Madara said. "Then we need a proper dock, build a proper farm."

The walked side by side as a new alliance was being forged. "Then of course we need business and an academy for any kids that will come to live here."

"You seemed to have this all planned out."

Madara just nodded. "Well you can't just rush ahead and build a settlement without proper planning and care."

"That's true." Ghira nodded. " _He is just a teenager around the same age as my own daughter, but he had the maturity of an experienced huntsman._ "

"What type of places do you plan of building in this settlement?"

"A lot actually." The younger of the two revealed.

"Then we better get to work then."

* * *

"No…this wasn't a mistake." He said before turning back to the desk. "That paperwork is though…"

He decided to walk through the village of Providence as he picked up a hat that rested on the desk.

It was similar to that of a kasa. He spun it in his hands before hanging it up on the wall.

Currently he was wearing light grey robe over his outfit that went to his ankles that also had long loose sleeves that covered half of his hands and what seemed to be a white scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Well…I guess it's time for training with the old man."

Sure, while building Providence came first, Potoo still made a schedule for Madara to rough him up.

On the days off where they stopped construction or just on the weekends and holidays, Potoo took him to the harsh outback of Menagerie…and boy was that harsh training worth it.

…Especially when they past the point of progression to where Potoo used his semblance.

…Potoo's semblance was way too powerful…

When Madara had started to adapt to Potoo's style without semblance, he was practically thrown to square one.

He walked out of the office and down stairs.

Madara had walked outside as he saw the village of Providence ushered in the new age.

Was it a new age? Who knows, but it was certainly a new beginning for the inhabitants of the island.

He walked through the village as both faunus and humans coexisted peacefully. As Ghira had said, faunus from Menagerie who wanted to live in this new land gladly took to the opportunity to move to Providence.

"Good afternoon Madara." Ghira greeted.

"Ah, Ghira when did you arrive?" he asked.

"I arrived not long ago." He said.

"I see Kali is not with you."

"Yeah…she tags along before ditching us to go to the hot springs." He sighed out. "I swear that's the only reason she wants to come here…"

"I think she's addicted to that place."

"So how are you going? The workload isn't too hard?"

"No, it's been manageable." The black haired teen said. "It's more of the work after I come back from Akatsuki business."

"You sure you can handle that work load?"

"I'm perfectly fine, and besides, I don't want my skills to become rusty." Madara then shot the faunus a look. "What about you? Besides bringing your wife here, why are you personally here? Last time I checked, we only schedule official alliance meetings once every season."

While they had decided to meet once every season, four times a year, they had other meetings once Providence started to grow. But now, as it was settling down, the meetings were set to four times a year.

"No, I'm not here on business." He said. "While Kali just wanted another excuse to go to the hot springs, I decided to have a look around and check how your village is doing and I can see it's doing well."

"I'm glad."

"It's good to see humans and faunus coexisting with one another."

"It's a shame with are just a minority." Madara said. "…A minority of those who just want to live in peace with one another."

"Oh yeah, the faunus with the duplication semblance was really helpful too." Madara said giving a slight bow to Ghira. "Thank you for allowing them come and helping in the construction of the village, Ghira."

"Seeing as you are still wearing your 'leader' robes over your outfit, I assume you are going to walk around town, go home or visit your old man."

"Heh, you caught me. I'm going to visit Potoo."

"Where did you find these humans?" the large man asked. "Even though these numbers are quite low, I'm surprised at how many are quite peaceful and accepting of coexistence."

"With each passing year, there are more and more of those who are willing to accept one another…however with each passing year there is also the opposite."

Ghira let out a saddened sigh as he decided to change the subject. "…Have I told you about my daughter?"

"Yes, Ghira, you have…"

"Oh…well, uh…" Ghira coughed into his fist. He wasn't one for casual conversation. "I can see Providence has grown since the last time I've been here."

He had turned to see the human with a proud look in his eyes. "Only in six months, this village has grown, mainly due to the volunteers and those who wanted to live at a new less cramped home." Madara said. "There have been a lot of new additions since you've been here, would you like me to tell you about it?"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Don't you need to see your old man?"

"I do, but our meetings aren't scheduled, and I'm sure the old man would want some time to himself."

"Very well then, tell me what happened these past few months I've been awake from the island."

"Let's go find a place to chat then." Madara offered. "I'll tell you as we head over. Let's head down memory lane."


	20. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**Ghost of the Branwen**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Madara or RWBY**_

Chapter 20: A Trip Down Memory Lane

"A see a new shop has opened up." Ghira noted.

"It's quaint." Madara said as they sat down at a tea shop. "I guess we'll start from the construction? You did seem to leave after a majority of the buildings were complete."

* * *

Thanks to Ghira and the volunteer faunus, construction of many buildings went under way. However Ghira had brought Madara over to see a faunus who had the semblance of duplication.

They could duplicate themselves and others. It was quite amazing really.

However, the more they duplicated the more worn out the semblance user would become…and the more duplicates the shorter time they had to roam around.

"Who is that?" asked Madara. "With a semblance like that, construction speed would be through the roof."

"Hahaha. I know right?" Ghira laughed. "I hope you don't mind, besides she's one of the ones that want to live somewhere other than Menagerie, but still wants to be close to family."

"I can understand." Madara looked back at the faunus who duplicated other faunus and herself. "I can see she likes to get her hands dirty."

Madara blinked before he looked back at Ghira. "You don't sound confident when you said she…"

The large softy rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…we have no idea if she is a she or he's a he." He explained. "When we think that she is a girl, she says she's a boy. Call him a boy and he says he's a girl."

"So what is it?"

"We don't even know. We just decide on one gender individual and go with it."

"…He does seem quite androgynous…" Madara turned as he went to go work on a different building. " _Talk about breeding like rabbits._ "

The androgynous faunus was actually a rabbit faunus, and with a semblance like that, it fit the rabbit theme well.

" _Enough dilly-dallying, it's time to get to work._ "

* * *

Construction went underway smoothly and with the extra ability of duplication it went faster than expected.

Sadly no materials could be duplicated…

…Then again if that could happen, buildings would be falling down left and right!

Madara felt a little sorry for the faunus, seeing as the androgynous rabbit's semblance, while useful, drained him.

The more duplicates, the more tiring.

It was hard yet rewarding work.

Once they finished a majority of the houses, which looked like a clash of two cultures seeing as the faunus from Menagerie made houses like the ones in Kuo Kuana which with the new room and open space allowed these houses to be bigger which was accompanied by the houses like the log cabins and other homes found outside of Menagerie.

After that, they started to work on the farm and created a proper barn for the animals and they also started to fix up a proper dock for boats.

Madara and the faunus volunteers said goodbye to Ghira seeing as he had his duties as chieftain to attend to back in Menagerie.

Afterwards with the following months they continued with the building of Providence.

As the days went past slowly, they began working on other type of buildings, which soon settlers from Menagerie came in.

An academy to teach kids about the world they live in along with useful skills and to help with the younger generations with co-existence and to one day if they decided to, become hunters of Providence.

Or what Madara liked to call Guardians.

But that was for another time.

As more and more was added to Providence, the Akatsuki got its first job.

Or second if you included the bounties from Jacques.

" _We will need some more human members._ " Madara thought, seeing as how Jacques replied with being a client as well as spreading recommendations, they would need some human members.

"A local gang war?" he looked through the job request.

As he read, he began to understand.

It seemed there were two sides warring for the territory of a small land in town. On one side there was a group calling themselves a mafia and the other side calling themselves yakuza.

One group was more behind the scenes while the other was more open and present and could be spotted easily.

Other than that, there wasn't too much separating one from the other.

"Elimination." He stood from his chair as he exited the building, his house. It was time to get to work.

As he stepped outside, he saw how the place was growing and it seemed that they were constructing another building which he had no idea what it was from first glance.

"…I need a weapon."

It was true, seeing as his gunbai and kama was still with Caracara…

Sure his hand-to-hand skills increased especially with Potoo's training. But that doesn't mean he can do it with just fists alone.

Madara walked to towards the newly built smith, which had been operating for a few days now.

"Morning." The teen said as he entered the forge.

"Good morning, Madara." The smith said as he turned to Madara. "How may I help you today?"

"I'm here for a weapon."

"A weapon?" the man stroked his beard. "Well we do have weapons here. But what type of weapon?"

Madara looked around the room where he saw many already forged blades and armour pieces.

"Well I have a job to get too and I need a weapon that can be easily hidden if I wanted too." He said. "A cutting and slashing weapon that is also durable and effective."

"Hm…I think I got just the weapon."

"You do?"

"Yes, how about a tanto?" the smith offered.

"Hm…a tanto..." Madara then nodded. "I'll take that."

"Then come back in a few minutes."

Madara raised an eyebrow. "But aren't those tantos on display there?"

"They are, but come back in a few minutes and you won't be disappointed."

"…Alright." Madara had left the forge and made his way to the nearby tailor that too was built around the same time as the forge.

"Morning Madara." The owner of the tailor said as he entered.

"Morning." He politely nodded. "Is my order done miss?"

She nodded as she pointed to his order before her hands elegantly started to weave yet another piece of cloth.

"Please try it on." She smiled as she said with her angelic voice.

Madara nodded as he had left for the changing room. Shortly after going in, he came out wearing his new outfit.

He wore a long, black cloak with red clouds that had a red interior and a chin-high collar.

He took the cloak off and revealed what he wore underneath.

He wore a black long-sleeved top that covered his neck and chin, a pair of black gloves, a pair of dark-coloured pants, a long green scarf and a pair of sandals with white stirrups. On his waist, he wore a thick black belt with armour-like metal plates attached to it, and similar plates on his upper arms.

"It suits you."

"Really?" he asked. "Hm…here you go."

He placed the lien on the counter before putting the cloak back on. He gave his thanks as he left before heading back to the forge.

"I see your back." The smith said. "Here's the tanto."

Madara took the sheathed tanto and pulled it out and inspected the blade. It was a straight-bladed tanto that seemed to glisten in the sun.

"Impressive huh?" the faunus man grinned showing his sharp teeth.

Madara could only nod as he sheathed the blade. "You're a skilled craftsman."

The blacksmith just laughed. "Hahaha, if keep up those compliments not even I will know what may happen with my future works."

"Right…" Madara paid for the tanto as he began to leave for the boat.

"Oi, Madara."

Madara stopped at the door as he looked back at the faunus.

"If you find a gunsmith out there…be sure to bring them back. While blades are good, some people want to have ranged weaponry as well." He said. "And I don't think my bows would be too good outside of archery and hunting."

"I'll keep an eye out."

And with that, Madara left the forge.

* * *

Madara strapped the tanto upside down on his left arm before putting the cloak back on.

"So you got a job?" asked Potoo.

"Yes, a simple one I can do myself." He said. "Make sure that Providence runs smoothly."

"Right, right." The old buzzard nodded. "Who knows, maybe you'll run into Amber on this job."

"I might."

Even though only two months have passed and the town having more buildings than before, Amber had decided to return back to the other four continents and continue her travels.

It was a shame too, he liked her.

"But I might not as well." He walked to a desolate location with Potoo far away from the village.

Potoo watched as Madara flared his aura before they stayed on a large rock, waiting.

He then watched as a Nevermore landed on the ground in front of them as Madara jumped onto its back.

"It got a little bigger."

"Only a little." The younger said. "But not that much noticeable."

The Nevermore flapped its wings as it began to take off. "I'll see you soon, old man."

After the Nevermore flew into the skies, Potoo turned back around to go back into Providence. "I wonder if we can get it done before his return?" he asked while stroking his own beard.

* * *

Madara felt the wind through his hair as he flew to the destination of the job.

He jumped off the Nevermore once it closer to the ground before it disappeared beyond the clouds.

After landing he stood up straight and dusted off his shoulder.

There was still a walk to the town and his client would be outside of the town.

The closer he got, the more he looked around. He was after a man with a sitar next to a street lamp.

It didn't take too long before he spotted said man.

"Are you watching the red clouds drift in our skies?" asked Madara.

"No, I'm watching the red mist that clouds our streets." Replied the sitar man as he stopped playing the instrument.

The man looked up from the spot he was sitting. "So you're the Akatsuki?" he asked.

"Yes, and before you ask, one is all you need for a request like this."

The man looked at Madara sceptically. "Just you? Against all of those gang members?" he asked.

"This is nothing. Just tell me where they are."

"The mafia hiding behind the scenes are located on the east side of the town using a single classy bar as a front." He said. "The present commonly seen yakuza aren't too hard to find, but they usually whole up as a group at the west side using a club as a front."

"I see…now how did this all start?"

The man sighed. "It all started once business started booming and word of uniquely growing herbs and minerals were apparently were in the town, along with something else." He said. "Honestly the words have passed through many mouths and it probably turned into something else."

Madara turned from the man to the town. " _…I think I see now. The reason for this gang war._ " He thought. "Whatever the case, I'll take care of this. There won't be anyone left."

Madara walked to the entrance of the town as the man started to play his sitar.

As he entered the town, Madara put his arms together like a monk, his high collar hiding the lower half of his face while his eyes roamed the sights.

" _East or west?_ " he looked both ways. " _Let's head east._ "

Madara had turned in the direction of said bar the mafia was hiding at. The bar was a colourful sight…well not really, seeing as a drunken man had stumbled out as Madara easily avoided the stumbling drunk.

He stopped as he looked at the drunken man.

It was still morning and he was already drunk? What type of person would drink this early?

Madara ignored him as he went inside. "Hey." The man slurred. "Aren't you a bit too young?"

It was amazing at how the man could form sentences while being that drunk…and a surprise that he wasn't dead yet.

However Madara decided on a whim to indulge the drunken man briefly at the door.

"Aren't you a bit too old to wear a cape?"

The drunken man blinked before grabbing his cape that looked like it saw better days seeing as it looked to be torn and tattered. He then continued to stare at the red cape in his hand like he found the meaning of life.

Madara had already closed the door as the greying black haired man looked at the spot Madara was before looking at the close to empty bottle in his hand.

He scratched his head as he let out a large burp before stumbling in the other direction.

* * *

Inside the bar Madara sighed. He assumed there were more day drinkers in here.

There was nothing wrong with that, he just didn't want to deal with those who would stop him from reaching the goal of his job.

He approached the bar as a man was cleaning some glasses. "Aren't you a bit too young to be drinking?" the bartender asked as Madara sat upon a stool. "Besides, we're not really open till this evening."

"Then that guy's the exception?"

The bartender sighed. "No, no. He came in not long before you did and already drunk." He told the youth. "I just sent him away, but he was persistent…"

"So what? You gave him a bottle?"

"I did." The glass cleaner said. "Besides, drunks like him bring good money. I just told him to come back later when we open and that there is a free one of the house."

"Taking advantage of a drunken man? I can't deny that I wouldn't do the same." Madara revealed. If a drunk had information he would use beer to get that information.

"So…what brings you here kid?" the man put the glass down. "I assume your not here to drink and if you were I'm not serving you any alcohol."

"I'm not here for drinks."

"Then what are you after?"

"I'm looking for some people, you might know them." He said. "But before that, hear any gossip?"

The man gave Madara a look up and down. "Are you a monk or something?" he asked at seeing the sleeves together as Madara had his arms crossed. "Well anyway, I hear there's some fortune in this town and those people with that fortune are hiring."

"Really now? That's interesting…"

"So who are you looking for?"

"Probably the same people." He said as he stood before looking at the back door. "I assume your boss and his gang are back there?"

The bartender made a move before Madara swung his hidden tanto, slicing the man's neck, cutting the jugular.

Madara wiped the tanto on the man's body clothes before sheathing the blade. The bartender's body fell as he made his way to the back.

That's when Madara meet the gangsters and redrew his tanto.

He decided to paint the walls red today.

Once he killed the last gangster that blocked his way. He picked up his weapon, a nice little tommy gun.

He looked through the door's key hole before putting the tommy gun up to the wall and began shooting through the door. He heard the panicked screams and bodies dropping from behind the door.

Once the clip was empty, he kicked the damaged door off the hinges. He then threw the tommy gun after would as he heard those remaining inside to shoot.

Madara stepped back and twisted his tanto before he sprung in.

"A kid?!" one of them shouted as he ran towards the same guy and begun cutting bodies up.

His Sharingan spun to live as he caught all the ones with guns in an illusion where they saw their own impending death.

It didn't take the cloaked Madara long before only the leader of the mafia was left.

"W-Who sent you?" he asked. "Who are you?"

"That's all you have left to say? Those are your final words?" he asked. "I'm no one. Just a guy hired to kill you and the rivals, nothing more nothing less. It's just business."

Madara had impressively swung his tanto at high speeds that it looked like the leader didn't have his head cut off.

Madara cleaned his blade as he went to the next site.

* * *

"Boss! Boss!" one of the yakuza shouted before falling dead. He was on his way to warn the boss before he fell dead.

"So you're here." The leader said as he stood up and brandished a spiked club. "Who hired you? Was it that mafia? I can pay you twice as much to kill them and work for me."

"Sorry, but if I accept then I'll be collecting the money without doing any work."

The man's eyes widened as Madara dashed forth. The sudden realization hitting the yakuza boss as he brought up his club to block the oncoming attack, this kid killed his enemies already!

The man didn't have much time to defend himself as he saw the bored expression on Madara's face as those eyes bore into him and it was as the world around them crumbled.

But the time he realized that the world was fake as his weapon cleaved through Madara without any harm, a large slash wound found itself on the man's body before dropping to the floor.

"…Time to collect the job fee." Madara said as he then left the corpse of the yakuza boss alone.

* * *

Madara was paid by the sitar man as Madara took the pay and was on his way. Just because he offered the normal hunter missions, he did leave in some…more options that would have to be emailed.

Some off the list options, which he left under the mission board as 'other' missions.

"Thank you." He said as he took the money.

"No thank you." The man replied. "I was surprised that you took them all on easily enough by yourself."

"I told you."

"Um…aren't you going to ask questions?"

"No, this is a business. No questions asked."

"I-I see."

"You are probably wondering why I'm not looking into this prized resource the two groups were after." Madara mentioned to the sitar player. "It was quite obvious when you mentioned it. It was incentive for the two groups to kill each other by planting fake valuable resources, you'll have the two go to war with each other and they'll killed themselves out."

"And with any survivors, they can easily be picked off. But something went wrong. They didn't war like you wanted. Your plans to get rid of them backfired as they played safe and for the long game, only losing a few members." He said. "They were killing each other slowly, not the fast pace you wanted. I just helped speed that up dramatically."

"You knew and still went through with it?"

"Of course, it is a business as I said before." Madara told him. "Have faith in the Akatsuki."

"Good bye." Madara said as he left the man.

As Madara left the town he looked down at his scroll and saw yet another paying job.

"It seems that cheap pay is getting people's attention."

* * *

Later that day, into the opening hours of the bar Madara had just cleaned out. The drunken man stumbled in.

"I'm here for my freebie!" he announced.

It wouldn't be too long before he spied the corpse of the bartender.

* * *

Madara swiped his forehead at the second official job of the Akatsuki.

It was a search and rescue mission to find supplies left behind during a Grimm attack on a caravan. While no one was harmed, some of the supplies were left behind.

He had found the supplies and brought them back to the town.

It was a simple job.

Madara waved as he left the building where he returned the supplies.

As he continued down the street, he noticed something in the alley.

Walking into the alley, he saw some kids. Two humans, one faunus. "What are you three doing here?" he asked the three as he knelt.

"I-It's all my fault." The faunus said with tears as the three looked at him. They looked like they were just tossed to the side.

"No it's not." One of the human kids said.

"Calm down and tell me what happened." Madara said

"Well…when he was kicked out of the orphanage…we…we…" the second started to tear up.

"I think I understand…he was kicked out for being a faunus, you two stood by his side and threatened with the same punishment of being kicked out." Madara said as he stood up. "The threat came true and now you're out on the curb with no place to go."

Madara then held his hand out to the three. "How about we go to a new home?" he asked the three.

"Huh?"

They all looked at Madara's hand and it didn't take them long to make a decision.

* * *

When Madara returned, while the kids were sleeping upon the Nevermore (which caused them to be shocked at how they got to Providence so quickly), and given clean clothes and a place to stay in the village.

It didn't take them long to make friends, even the chinchilla faunus child was a resident of the village now.

"We got a surprise for you Madara." Potoo said.

"What?" he asked as he was brought to a two storied building. It was built with height in mind rather than width.

"This is your building." Potoo said.

"But I already have a house and I assume you got it done quicker with the rabbit's help?"

"We did." The old aging man said. "Now. This building right here…is your office."

"…My what?"

Even the tailor had walked over and gave him something and when he held it out, it was a robe with a white scarf.

"Please try it on later." She said.

"This growing village was your idea Madara." Drake said. "It's only fitting we have you as the leader."

Madara's eyes widened. "Y-Yeah." The bat Saguzar agreed.

It seemed that they seemed to agree to him being the leader of this village. "I'll guess I'll take up this role as Overseer of Providence."

He turned to see the kasa-like hat before placing it on his head.

Now Providence had a leader.

* * *

Madara sat at his new desk as he looked down at some papers. He looked up to see the rabbit faunus that had the duplication semblance.

"Thank you for coming." He said to the faunus.

"It's no problem…there's no problem is there?"

Madara shook his head. "There's no problem." He told the rabbit. "I just wanted to thank you."

"T-Thank me?" the faunus asked.

"Yes, without you the construction wouldn't be this fast." The faunus watched as Madara bowed his head towards him. "Thank you for your contribution."

"No, no! I just wanted to help." He or she said. The voice along with his or her appearance made it harder. "My semblance didn't really help in Kuo Kuana since the place was already done with constructions."

The rabbit faunus had an androgynous look with long, light brown hair reaching their shoulders along with chocolate brown eyes. He or she also had a pair of rabbit ears the same colour as their hair.

The rabbit wore light brown and cream kimono over dark brown pants and geta.

"What's your name?"

"Mochi, Mochi Scarlatina." The rabbit faunus said. "And I'm a-"

"Boy?"

"…Girl."

"I see, so it's true you play with people like that."

"T-That's not true."

Madara just shrugged as he opened a draw and pulled out a book. "Honestly, I'm going to refer to you as a he from now on." He said as he held the book up. "And there's an easy way to check your gender as long as you're not asexual."

"…With that book?"

"Yes, I believe it is called Ninjas of Love." He placed the book on the desk. "It was a gift?"

"You don't sound too sure."

"Would you be if a mother of one gave you a somewhat perverted book?" he asked.

The book was a gift from Kali of all people when she heard he took the leader position of Providence.

"…I might have to refuse any future gifts…anyways this book contains images of the female and male body. You might get a reaction from either one of them."

"Just to find out my gender?" the rabbit asked with a look of shock mixed with disbelief.

"If I was truly curious then my answer would be yes." Madara said shocking Mochi even more. Even the name could fit either gender.

"That's not why you are here today." Madara said. "You are here to be thanked for your efforts in helping the construction."

"Well…it's a job and everyone played their part here." Mochi replied as he messed with his hair. "There's nothing to it."

"But still, you played a vital role." Madara said as he put the book away. "I just wanted to give you my thanks. Might I ask what you plan on doing in Providence?"

"I run a sweet shop called Amaguriama." Mochi told the leader of the village. "Dango, mame-daifuku, manju, sweet bean paste…"

"I see…" Madara coughed into his hand. "I might pay a visit later. Thank you once more."

"It's nothing." Mochi bowed before shortly leaving.

Madara looked down at back at the paperwork and to the computer that was taken from the ship.

* * *

More time had passed as Madara's hair grew longer. Providence was a now functioning town with more buildings being created when needed.

He had hung up his Akatsuki cloak in his new house as he came back from another day of Akatsuki business as well as training with Potoo.

He kind of hoped he would meet Caracara again with Garuda.

After fixing himself up, he decided to look around the village, it had been a while since he just took in the sights.

Thanks to his efforts, more humans had moved into Providence. However these humans were like the two humans kids he had found.

Lost with nowhere else to go, they needed a home, they needed someplace to stay.

Madara gave them shelter.

He gave them purpose.

While the faunus numbers were still bigger than the human numbers. Coexistence seemed possible.

He locked his door as he looked at the drifting clouds. It was going to be a good day.

The faunus from Menagerie, and the humans from the four 'main' lands. He walked down the street with his robes as he took in the sights of his village of mixed culture.

He decided to get a better view of the village from the top of his office.

He easily made his way there due to jumping on the multiple roofs of buildings and reached the top of his office.

Madara overlooked his village which was still growing and took in the sights and what they had.

From the top he saw the academy, he of course saw all the other houses and homes of the people, no, his people.

He saw the shops which included Amaguriama and stands that served food or some sort of other services like dust. He saw the smiths which had the faunus blacksmith and the newly appointed human gunsmith at the forge, the improved docks for their ship, a heliport for any airship, the tailors where he had placed orders for some more clothing.

The farm was running smoothly, raising both animals and growing both fruits and vegetables. The hot springs that was built and actually natural surprisingly, he could see Kali going there a lot…he hoped he didn't jinx that.

Near the farm was the greenhouse which served to preserve and grow herbs used in medicine. He spied the clinic right next to the chemist as they worked on a hospital, restaurants for people to eat and of course a pub.

He saw the carpenters, potters and their pottery and the library which was stocking books in, while not a building, he saw a dedicated training ground and an empty cemetery.

He of course was standing on his office dubbed the overseer office. Next to it was the standby station, which served as a place where the Guardians stayed with their lockers and gear. However, right underneath was the correctional facility, which was basically a prison, located underground.

Yes, this was truly Providence indeed.

* * *

"And that's parts of it." Madara said. He had left out a few things and changed some of the more gruesome parts.

"Hm." The older man replied as he was currently eating. He made a sound of acknowledgement letting Madara know he was listening. "How did you get find the gunsmith?" he asked after finishing the food he was eating.

"During one of the Akatsuki missions. Was doing some village security and met him. Offered him a new place to stay after…some events happened." He said slowly as Ghira nodded in understanding.

"I understand. I hear Akatsuki's name is getting out there, slowly but getting word spread about it." Ghira said. "And from your tale, the hospital wasn't finished yet, but now it is."

Madara had placed an empty cup down as he paid for both of them. "Yes, Akatsuki is definitely seeing more work, and soon one day everyone might rely on it rather than the kingdoms for the prices." He said. "…however some might feel safer with those from the kingdoms…and then there is the side where attention would be brought up and those too curious or have bad intentions might come into the picture."

"Unnecessary attention?" the large man asked. "Like who?"

"…Nosy people…people with secrets that like to snoop around."

* * *

A middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes drank some coffee from a mug. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features and held a cane in his free hand.

He wore shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck, an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt with black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.

He took another sip out of his coffee mug as he looked at some screens and the red cloud of the Akatsuki.

"Hm..."

Yet unknown to the man, someone else was looking at the same thing.


End file.
